March & April Reviews - I'm Late!

I have been remiss in posting my reviews of late, mostly because real life is pretty hectic these days.  Of course, it doesn't stop me from reading, but alas, actually posting my reviews is another thing.  So, without further ado, let's get to it, no five star reviews I'm afraid.  This is the first of two posts today:

Forever a Lady by Delilah Marvelle

Book Description:
Lady Bernadette Marie Burton  may be the richest widow in England, but like her dreams of finding true passion, her reputation is deteriorating. Cruel gossip, loneliness and hoards of opportunistic suitors have her believing Society couldn't be more vile...or dangerous. So when an attacker threatens her life, she finds safety in the most unseemly of places: the arms of a mysterious, Irish-American gang leader. His fortune stolen, young Matthew Milton is done playing the respectable gentleman. In the slums of New York, only ruffians thrive. But from the moment he arrives in London and encounters the voluptuous Lady Bernadette, he can't help but wonder about the finer pleasures he's missing. Or just how much he's willing to risk-not only to bed her, but to prove his worth...

This story, second in The Rumor series, picks up where the last one left off with Bernadette, Lady Burton, a widowed Englishwoman now living in NYC in the early 19th century. She becomes involved with Matthew Milton, a once prosperous son of a newspaper owner who lost everything. Now he lives in the wretched 6th Ward and is the leader of a vigilante type gang called The Forty Thieves. He falls in love with Bernadette at first sight but much happens and he wants to elevate himself in the world before he can hope to every marry her. I liked their story but found it slow in parts.  I can't say I was really into either the hero or heroine, neither one was really likable or had me rooting for them.  There's something missing from this romance that left me with a meh feeling. Still, I will continue with the next in the series.

3.5/5

Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters (audio)

Book Description: 
In this ninth book in the Peabody series, it's 1903, and Amelia and her clan-irascible husband Emerson, fearless son Ramses, gorgeous ward Nefret-are in Cairo, dealing with everything from mummies (both the ancient and more recent varieties) to affairs of the heart.

I really enjoyed this latest installment of the adventures of the Emerson Family in Egypt. Here we see Ramses - grown up! Or, rather, close to grown up with a mustache and silently in love with Nefret, who most likely returns his feelings, but neither one of them knows it! The whole family takes part in the investigation of who killed the wife of an American Southerner who turns up in a tomb several years after running off with another man. The mystery thickens and suspects abound. I had a really good time with this one on audio, especially with the Southern accents of Col. Bellingham and his daughter, Dolly who drove Ramses crazy! A favorite of mine in the series!

4/5

Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

Book Description:
Annabel Winslow is in a pickle. Having newly arrived in London for her first season and being in possession of a voluptuous figure, she is being openly courted by the Earl of Newbury, who is at least 75 and a nasty brute to boot. Annabel does not want to marry him, of course, but feels that she has no choice since her father has recently died and left the whole family, including Annabel's mother and her seven siblings, almost destitute.

Then, while attending a party in the countryside, Annabel met Sebastian Grey, the Earl of Newbury's nephew. And suddenly she found herself not only courted by the lecherous uncle, but also the charming young nephew. Should she follow her heart so that she can be with the one she loves, or should she marry the loathsome earl just so she can put food on the table for her family and make sure that her brothers get to stay in school? 

I loved Julia Quinn when I first discovered her and fell in love with her Bridgerton series, but lately her books are just too "fluffy." They don't have that emotional pull in them that made me love her. Now they just don't have much substance, they seem to be romances with one long joke and a catchy title. This one has been on my TBR List forever, mostly because of the lackluster feeling I've gotten from JQ's most recent books.  Here we have Annabel Winslow who is doomed to marry an elderly earl in need of an heir. The earl disgusts her and it would be a fate worse than death to marry him. Because of her broad hips and bounteous breasts she is considered the ideal baby making machine (this is the one long joke of the book.) The earl's heir, Sebastian Grey, happens to meet Annabel one evening on Hampstead Heath and they have a unexpectedly romantic moment, two strangers meeting in the night. Neither one knows who the other is until after a long and memorable kiss. When Annabel finds out who he is, and that he's the nephew of the man everyone expects her to marry - well, she is... confused. And so is the dilemma. Sebastian is to-die-for handsome, yet he has trouble with his wartime memories. His character is a bit shallow at first, except for his deep dark secret that he is the bestselling Gothic novelist who writes under the pen name of Sarah Gorley (lots of inside author jokes abound). Will Sebastian have a chance at happiness and lose his rakish ways? Will he ask Annabel to marry him so she won't have to marry his detestable uncle? Inquiring minds want to know, but I found I was really only halfheartedly interested in this tame regency.  Awful cover as well, I really dislike it!

3.5/5

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

Book Description:
The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew that it was her house. And now that she’s at last become its owner, she suspects that she was drawn there for a reason.

As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself transported into seventeenth-century England, becoming Mariana, a young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love.

Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past...until she realizes Mariana’s life is threatening to eclipse her own, and she must find a way to lay the past to rest or lose the chance for happiness in her own time.

This was a memorable time travel story with incredible yet quiet emotion all the way to the last page. Fantastic ending. I loved it and I believe it's my favorite book by this author.  Julia is drawn to an old house she first saw as a young girl and on the spur of the moment buys it as an adult.  Her friends and family are surprised at her sudden decision to move from London to this out of the way country house, but to Julia is just seems right.  She becomes the latest sensation in the small village and makes friends easily with the local squire that lives nearby in Crofton Hall, a charming female bartender who teaches her the lay of the land and the quiet enigmatic local, who helps her with her garden and anything else that needs done.  Before long, Julia begins having "spells" in which she is transported back in time two hundred years to the same area, and falls in love with the lord of the manor.   Yet, there is danger for him and soon she learns the reason why she feels so sad in the one of the rooms in Crofton Hall, rumored to have a ghost.  There's much more to this story and I loved it and the surprises at the end.  All the characters are likable and real to me.  I was sorry when I finished for I wanted to continue reading about them.   A keeper.

4.5/5

Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (audio)

Book Description: 
After the discovery that her late husband, a popular televangelist, embezzled five million dollars from his ministry, Rachel Stone, the televangelist's widow, is an outcast—broke, unemployed, with a five-year-old son to raise. Fate and a dead car engine leave her at a shabby drive-in theater owned by Gabriel Bonner, the hostile black sheep of the town's most prominent family. Welcome to Salvation, North Carolina, where a man who's forgotten what tenderness means meets a woman with nothing to lose. 

Story of Gabe Bonner, Cal Bonner's tortured brother, who lost his wife and son in a car accident.  Cal is the main hero from the last book in the series, Nobody's Baby But Mine. Rachel Stone, the widow Snopes, returns to the town of Salvation with her young son, Edward, to try and find her dead husbands lost fortune. Destitute, Rachel talks her way into working for Gabe at his drive-in theatre that is due to open in a month or so. She is hated in town and is facing several up hill struggles to get by. Gabe, a walking ghost, has trouble adjusting to her and the fact she's the first woman he's been attracted to since the death of his wife, Cherry. To sum it up, both Rachel and Gabe have a lot of baggage to deal with, yet finding each other is probably the best thing that could have happened to each other. The other side story (SEP's romances always have one) is about Ethan Bonner, the youngest of the brothers who is a pastor in town and his plain secretary, Kristy, who has secretly loved him forever.  But, alas, Ethan has never noticed her. Determined to get noticed, she transforms herself into the kind of woman Ethan likes - tight jeans, lipstick and a hot body. I loved their storyline, which was reminiscent of my favorite so far in this series, Heaven, Texas. Rachel and Gabe's storyline was much more serious and often sad to read about. It ended well, but their struggles that needed to be overcome left a feeling a melancholia over the storyline. Still, a good book on audio. The narrator is great, especially with children's voices.

4/5

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

Book Description: 
Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly - so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention.

But that is precisely what she gets.

Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...

Only available as an e-book, this is a short historical romance that I had trouble getting into and following the storyline, though I did like the endearing hero. Unfortunately, the story kept jumping around so much, though I found the premise intriguing.  After a while I caught on (maybe I was just too distracted while reading this), but the main gist of the story, Robert's great dilemma, seemed so easy to solve and not worth all the worry on his part.  I kept thinking it was so obvious as to what he should do.  Finally by the end of the book, I liked the story and the revelations of Minerva's past and childhood, but overall it was not as good as I had thought it would be.  Still, I will continue on with the series.  I definitely find this author to be hit or miss with me.

3.5/5

Between the Devil and Desire (audio)

Book Description: 
The ladies of the ton won't stop whispering about deliciously wicked Jack Dodger—once a thieving street urchin, now the wealthy owner of London's most exclusive gentleman's club. There's no pleasure he hasn't enjoyed, no debauchery the handsome scoundrel won't provide for the lords who flock to his house of carnal intrigue.

Olivia, Duchess of Lovingdon, would never associate with such a rogue. So when Jack is named sole heir to the duke's personal possessions, the beautiful, well-bred lady is outraged. Now, Olivia is forced to share her beloved home with this despicable man.

But Olivia's icy disdain is no match for Jack's dangerous charm. His touch awakens desire. His kiss demands surrender. She will struggle to bar Jack from her heart...but her body, coveting divine release, will not let her bar him from her bed.

I really had a hard time with this one, though usually I like Lorraine Heath.  I can't understand it, her regencies just don't grab me emotionally the same way her American Westerns do.  But, I think the main reason why I didn't enjoy this book was that I listened to it on audio.  Big mistake. The narrator, Susan Ericksen, made the heroine's voice much older than someone in their mid-twenties and I didn't care for her version of Jack's voice either.  I thought Anthony Ferguson was going to do Jack's voice for the most part (as he is credited as one of the narrator's) but he only did the voice for Jack twice in the prologue and the epilogue!  The rest was all by Ericksen.  I cannot understand why they did it that way, I was very put off by it.  It actually really ruined the book for me!  Plus, Olivia and Jack were both so prickly for most of the book, and then miraculously falling in lust and so forth, I just rolled my eyes over their storyline.  I really couldn't believe how Olivia just let him control her so much as well, she is a duchess after all!  Show some back bone! Too bad, for Jack was interesting in the first book of this series and I had high hopes for his story.  Oh well, c'est la vie.

2.5/5

An Infamous Marriage by Susanna Fraser

Book Description:
Northumberland, 1815

At long last, Britain is at peace, and General Jack Armstrong is coming home to the wife he barely knows. Wed for mutual convenience, their union unconsummated, the couple has exchanged only cold, dutiful letters. With no more wars to fight, Jack is ready to attempt a peace treaty of his own.

Elizabeth Armstrong is on the warpath. She never expected fidelity from the husband she knew for only a week, but his scandalous exploits have made her the object of pity for years. Now that he's back, she has no intention of sharing her bed with him—or providing him with an heir—unless he can earn her forgiveness. No matter what feelings he ignites within her…

Jack is not expecting a spirited, confident woman in place of the meek girl he left behind. As his desire intensifies, he wants much more than a marriage in name only. But winning his wife's love may be the greatest battle he's faced yet. 

I've really enjoyed the two previous romances in this series, but this wasn't nearly as good, I'm afraid.  I really like this author, but this one didn't seem to have any oomph to it.  The first part of the book is the background of why they got married in the first place and then their separation while Jack is in Canada and Elizabeth receives all sorts of reports about his affairs from gossiping neighbors.  Once Jack return from Canada, he is instantly attracted to Elizabeth and there wasn't enough build up to show why.  He just came off as a randy soldier home from the war.  He wants to bed Elizabeth too quickly and once she begins to warm to him and forgive him for his misdeeds in Canada, she soon becomes of the same mind set.  They want to do it, but constant delays prevent them from doing so.  I also felt Elizabeth came around too easily, so there wasn't enough teasing to make it interesting.  The many delays only succeeded in being frustrating and their fight before Waterloo was entirely too expected.  Overall, it was not compelling enough for me, compared to her previous books in the series, but it was good for those are interested in Waterloo and it's battle scenes. 

3.5/5

When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris (audio)

Book Description:
When Gabrielle Tennyson is murdered, aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr and his new reluctant bride, the fiercely independent Hero Jarvis, find themselves involved in an intrigue concerning the myth of King Arthur, Camelot, and a future poet laureate...

As Sebastian and Hero get to know one another better in the early days of their marriage, a young and beautiful friend of Hero's is found dead in a boat in a moat that has ties to the fabled Camelot. Hero and Sebastian investigate the murder that involves the Tennyson family and Sebastian meets someone who could very likely be his brother - yet still no word on who his real father is. Lots of possibilities abound.  I am curious to know how things will ultimately develop between Hero and Sebastian and where his former love, Kat Boleyn will fit into the scheme of things... On audio, good as usual with Davina Porter narrating.  It can't get any better.

4/5

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A Post-Sandy Hurricane Post of Reviews

I began writing this post with Sandy coming down hard on us here in New Jersey.  I figured I'd post my month's reviews before the power went out.   Well, the power went out about half way through, so I'm finishing it up now a week later since that's how long it took to get my power back.  Not a fantastic collection this month, lots of regencies and two WWII themed books.  I loved the new Sherry Thomas historical and Carrie Lofty's WWII romance, but could have slept through the two Julia Quinns from her backlist.

Deception by Amanda Quick (audio)

Book Description:
Once, Olympia Wingfield was free to devote all her time to her true passion: the study of ancient legends and long-lost treasure. But now, with three hellion nephews to raise, the absentminded beauty has very little time for research. Which makes it seem all the more serendipitous when a handsome stranger strides into Olympia's library unannounced and proceeds to set her world to rights.

Tall and dark, with long, windswept black hair, Jared Chillhurst is the embodiment of Olympia's most exotic dreams—a daring pirate, masquerading in teacher's garb, whose plundering kisses and traveler's tales quickly win her heart. Yet all too soon innocent Olympia will discover that the enigmatic and wickedly sensual Mr. Chillhurst is no lowly tutor, but a future earl with a wealth of secrets—the kind that will lead them both on a perilous quest for a hidden fortune and a love worth more than gold.

On audio, narrated by Anne Flosnik who did a creditable job, except her voice for the one-eyed pirate-like hero sounded too gravelly.  It was as if she was trying to give it this smoldering, passion infused inflection.  But to my ears, it just made him sound older than he was really supposed to be.  He did not sound romantic, but maybe it's just me.

Olympia, the heroine is another of Quick's learned, bluestocking types who is clueless when it comes to the required social niceties in Regency England because she's so wrapped up in her studies. No shy wilting lily, once she makes up her mind she wants to bed Jared, she has no fears or compunctions about it.  She could care less what it might do to her reputation if anyone finds out. Other than this unrealistic lack of discretion, I liked her and her three young nephews. I found the storyline amusing at times, albeit convoluted with the lost map, treasure and Jared's irascible father and uncle.  It was an easy listen, though it lacked any real depth.  Still, I enjoyed it overall.

3.5/5

The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn

Book Description: 
Jack Audley has been a highwayman. A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.

Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine... until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she's not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have...

This book took me forever to get through - what a slog! Surprisingly tedious without much humor at all. Unusual for a Julia Quinn romance. Jack, the hero wasn't bad, but he had so much baggage to deal with! Per Quinn's usual heroes, Jack spends his entire time ruing the fact he is going to inherit a dukedom (or is he, that is the question) and he doesn't want the responsibilities that go with it.  A high class problem.  You see, he never learned how to read because he is dyslexic, but this is his "shameful" secret. Because of this, he cannot bear the thought of leaving his carefree life for the dukedom. Then on top of that, he has all sorts of other guilt issues because his cousin died when they were fighting against Napoleon and he hasn't returned to his home in Ireland since, because he can't bear to face his aunt who raised him. Don't get me started on Penelope - duller than dish water. Not a single memorable thing about her, except that she likes to sleep late and is not a "morning person."  What did Jack see in her?  The dowager duchess is horrible!  Nothing admirable or likable about her in the least, and we had to deal with her so much!  What a disappointing romance, and the cover is horrible. I remember when this came out, just the cover itself prevented me from reading it for a long time, such a vapid strange look on her face, and the dreaded overused male model, Nathan Kamp.  Uggh.  I only bought it months ago because it was almost free on kindle at the time.

3.5/5

Tempting the Bride by Sherry Thomas

Book Description:
Helena Fitzhugh understands perfectly well that she would be ruined should her secret love affair be discovered. So when a rendezvous goes wrong and she is about to be caught in the act, it is with the greatest reluctance that she accepts help from David Hillsborough, Viscount Hastings, and elopes with him to save her reputation.      

Helena has despised David since they were children—the notorious rake has tormented her all her life. David, on the other hand, has always loved Helena, but his pride will never let him admit the secrets of his heart.      

A carriage accident the day after their elopement, however, robs Helena of her memory—the slate is wiped clean. At last David dares to reveal his love, and she finds him both fascinating and desirable. But what will happen when her memory returns and she realizes she has fallen for a man she has sworn never to trust?
 
I love, love, loved this book! The amnesia angle totally caught me off guard but gave the story a greater dimension and depth than just the usual forced marriage, "I hate you, but I have to marry you anyway" scenario.  David was wonderful and I loved him and his inner anguish, loving Helena all along and hoping she gets better, but dreading what will happen when she remembers what an ass he'd been over the years.  Some flaws did exist in the storyline though: not enough background on his illegitimate daughter, Bea.  Still, I loved his tender relationship with her.  I also loved his smutty story within a story, which was so clever!  Let's face it, this was the best of the trilogy and Sherry Thomas is an absolute favorite of mine!  I was also glad to see some lovin' between Fritz and Millie as well.  Their story (2nd in the trilogy) ended sort of up in the air and I was glad to see they're happy and living it up in book three!  A worthwhile series!  Oh no!  Now I have to wait forever for Sherry Thomas to come out with her next series, whenever that will be!  Whenever it is, I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

4.5/5

Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard

Book Description:
A small Wyoming town is about to learn a few lessons from a new schoolteacher with the courage to win the heart of a man who swore he had nothing to give....

Mary Elizabeth Potter is a self-appointed spinster with no illusions about love. But she is a good teacher and she wants Wolf Mackenzie s son back in school. And after one heated confrontation with the boy s father, she knows father and son have changed her life forever.

Still paying for a crime he didn't commit, Wolf Mackenzie has a chip on his shoulder the size of Wyoming. But prim-and-proper Mary Elizabeth Potter doesn't see Wolf as the dangerous half-breed the town has branded him. Somehow she sees him as a good, decent, honest man. A man who could love...

Wolf's not sure he or the town of Ruth, Wyoming is ready for the taming of Wolf Mackenzie.

I love Linda Howard and this was another good contemporary of hers, but it seemed a bit dated.  Wolf Mackenzie has a huge chip on his shoulder - and I mean huge!  It took me a while to get used to him because his stern exterior was so hard to break through.  He's angry and bitter because he's a "half-breed" and the small town of Ruth, Wyoming treats him - and his son - like dirt.  The new spinster schoolteacher who comes to town makes him change his tune and they both wind up having a torrid love affair - just what the two of them need while trying to find a rapist that is on the loose who has a major grudge against Native American Indians.  Their growing relationship was great and Mary Elizabeth is feisty and stubborn, but I felt I was being hit over the head over and over with the unfairness of the way the town treated Wolf and his son.  I know it was necessary, and it was wrong but I think it went on a little too much.  Still, as usual, another terrific Linda Howard, the queen of contemporary, suspenseful romance.

4/5

Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre (audio)

Book Description:
Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty; inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, his spymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended and the other began.

In 1941, after training as a German spy in occupied France, Chapman was parachuted into Britain with a revolver, a wireless, and a cyanide pill, with orders from the Abwehr to blow up an airplane factory. Instead, he contacted MI5, the British Secret Service. For the next four years, Chapman worked as a double agent, a lone British spy at the heart of the German Secret Service who at one time volunteered to assassinate Hitler for his countrymen. Crisscrossing Europe under different names, all the while weaving plans, spreading disinformation, and, miraculously, keeping his stories straight under intense interrogation, he even managed to gain some profit and seduce beautiful women along the way.

The Nazis feted Chapman as a hero and awarded him the Iron Cross. In Britain, he was pardoned for his crimes, becoming the only wartime agent to be thus rewarded. Both countries provided for the mother of his child and his mistress. Sixty years after the end of the war, and ten years after Chapman’s death, MI5 has now declassified all of Chapman’s files, releasing more than 1,800 pages of top secret material and allowing the full story of Agent Zigzag to be told for the first time.

A gripping story of loyalty, love, and treachery, Agent Zigzag offers a unique glimpse into the psychology of espionage, with its thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.

Entertaining and interesting account of the story of Eddie Chapman, a double agent during WWII for the Nazis and the British MI5. I really enjoyed this book. Small time crook from England gets arrested on Isle of Jersey and is in jail there when it is soon occupied by the Nazis during WWII.  He naively makes a deal with them to be a spy. They recruit him, but then as soon as he's on his first mission in England, he goes to the British and makes a deal with them. A real operator but endearing in his own way. Good inside view of this side of WWII.  Very easy listening on audio and John Lee was excellent as the narrator.

4/5

Miss Lacey's Last Fling by Candice Hern

Book Description: 
Having sacrificed her youthful opportunities to family obligations, mousy Miss Rosalind Lacey is finally ready to make the most of her long-postponed London Season-starting with Max Devanant, rake extraordinaire....

I loved this traditional Regency. Cute storyline with an endearing hero and heroine. Sort of a bucket list for the Regency miss. Rosie is convinced that she is dying from the same disease that killed her mother.  She wants to live it up and have her season in London that she missed out on when she was younger.  Well... her racy aunt takes her under her wing and transforms her and suddenly Rosie is the toast of the town.  Although the ending felt rushed and I could have done without the constant endearment of "minx," it was really quite a delightful tale - and next to nothing on Kindle.

4.5/5

A Beginner's Guide to Rakes by Suzanne Enoch

Book Description:
All of London is abuzz with the return of the utterly alluring, recently widowed Diane Benchley. Will she remarry? What will she do with her late husband’s fortune? Society is shocked by her announcement—at the Grand Ball, of all places!—that she plans to open an exclusive gentleman’s gaming club in the family mansion. But no one is more stunned than the Marquis of Haybury, Oliver Warren.

Years ago, Oliver and Diane shared a private indiscretion. Now Diane threatens to reveal Oliver’s most ungentlemanly secrets…unless he agrees to help her. A notorious gambler—and rake—Oliver is overqualified to educate Diane in the ways and means of running her establishment. But striking a deal with Diane might just be the biggest risk Oliver has ever taken. This time, the only thing he has to lose is his heart…

Not the best by Suzanne Enoch. I found it very difficult to get into this storyline for the heroine was constantly irritable and cranky. Penniless widow who was suddenly dropped by her lover (our hero) two years earlier comes to London to open a gentleman's club. He's funding it because she's blackmailing him. Much happens, they can't resist each other, but she needs convincing he's changed. Not bad, but not great either, and can't understand the title, has nothing to do with the story!  Still, I will read the novella that tells their story two years earlier while lovers in Austria and what went wrong.

3/5

Minx by Julia Quinn

Book Description:
It takes a minx to tempt a rogue... 

Beautiful and feisty Henrietta Barrett has never followed the dictates of society. She manages her elderly guardian's estate, prefers to wear breeches rather than dresses, and answers to the unlikely name of Henry. But when her guardian passes away, her beloved home falls into the hands of a distant cousin.

And it takes a rogue to tame her... 

William Dunford, London's most elusive bachelor, is stunned to learn that he's inherited property, a title...and a ward bent on making his first visit his last. Henry is determined to continue running the Cornwall estate without help from the handsome new lord, but Dunford is just as sure he can change things...starting with his wild young ward. But turning Henry into a lady makes her not only the darling of the town, but an irresistible attraction to the man who thought he could never be tempted.

Very much a so-so romance, and I have realized I now detest the endearment "minx!" Tom-boy girl, who goes by the name of Henry, falls for an English lord in Cornwall who turns out to be her guardian. She's been living on the estate he has just inherited - and managing it very well.  They get off to a rocky start but then become close friends.  He doesn't realize he's her guardian at first, but when he does he soon realizes he's in a big dilemma.  All he wants to do is seduce her!  But he can't - because he's her guardian.  So he tries to find her a husband instead, but no one is good enough.  Then they go to London and lah dee dah they fall in love.  But, then two weeks before the wedding they have this BIG misunderstanding that ruins everything! Unhappy first month of marriage, what a waste! Uggh! Slow beginning, hum drum middle and then angsty ending! Not my favorite JQ romance, I'm afraid.

3.5/5



Carnal Gift by Pamela Clare

Book Description:
"I expect you to show my friend just how grateful you are. Your willingness is everything."

With those harsh words, the hated Sasanach earl decided Bríghid's fate: Her body and her virginity were to be offered up to a stranger in exchange for her brother's life. Possessing nothing but her innocence and her fierce Irish pride, she had no choice but to comply.

But the handsome man she faced in the darkened bedchamber was not at all the monster she expected. His green eyes seemed to see inside her. His tender touch calmed her fears while he swore he would protect her by merely pretending to claim her. And as the long hours of the night passed by, as her senses ignited at the heat of their naked flesh, she made a startling discovery: Sometimes the line between hate and love can be dangerously thin.

This second book in Clare's Blakewell/Kenleigh trilogy just didn't wow me like her other books. A beautiful young Irish woman, Bríghid, finds herself the object of young Colonial, Jamie Blakewell's affections while he's visiting Ireland. But his crazy friend, Sheff, a wealthy and powerful English lord wants her too and becomes obsessed. She is kidnapped by the lord as a gift for the night for Jamie, who wouldn't dream of besmirching her that way. He tricks the lord into thinking he's taking her virginity but then helps her escape instead, but her brother stabs him and they must hide while she heals him after his near death. Much happens and I just found this sort of boring with all the back and forth between Bríghid and Jamie. She won't trust him, blah, blah, blah, he's English and a Protestant! Horrors! I found Jamie much too saintly and perfect for most of the time, which wasn't very interesting. Sheff was a caricature of the despicable and debauched English lord in Ireland who thinks nothing of murdering his Irish tenants. Hopefully, book three in this trilogy will be better and not quite so melodramatic and over the top. I read this on kindle and found innumerable typos, hopefully they will be corrected eventually, plus the spelling of so many of the names (albeit authentic, I have no doubt) made it hard for me to grasp their pronunciation!

3.5/5



Castles by Julie Garwood

Book Description:
Orphaned and besieged, Princess Alesandra knew that only hasty marriage to an Englishman could protect her from the turmoil in her own land. To the amusement of her makeshift guardian, Colin, younger brother of the Marquess of Cainewood, the bold raven-haired beauty instantly captivated London society. But when Alesandra was nearly abducted by her unscrupulous countrymen, the fighting instincts that won Colin a knighthood for valor were kindled.

Deceiving himself that he wanted only to protect her, Colin swept her into a union meant to be a marriage in name alone...yet Alesandra's tender first kiss and hesitant caress ignited a wildfire in his soul. As the lovely princess dashed headlong into unforeseen dangers, Colin would follow, knowing he must claim her as his own forever. Now he would risk life itself before he would lose this sweet, tempestuous angel...

Fun Julie Garwood Regency with all the winsome humor I've come to expect from her. This wraps up her Crown Spies series, which was really delightful!  I highly recommend the whole series!  Alesandra and Colin make a good couple here and she is another adorable JG heroine who drives her alpha husband crazy!  As usual, Colin is not ready to fall in love, but falls for Alesandra anyway.  She is amazingly beautiful - and a princess!  She also happens to have a lot of hidden talents as well - as is so often the case with Garwood's heroines.  Despite Colin's reluctance to admit he's in love, she bides her time, she knows he loves her and he'll let her know when he's ready.  She is confident of this and thankfully, the storyline didn't turn into some sort of melodramatic hand wringing "you don't love me!" sort of thing - although there was the usual tension, attempted kidnappings, but that's Garwood fare.  The humor made it!

4/5


His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty

Book Description:
After the War took the lives of Lulu Davies’s parents and her fiancé, she promised herself she would guard her heart carefully and concentrate on her great love—flying the biggest and best airplanes in the sky. Lulu is a pilot in the British civilian air force, ferrying planes around Great Britain and keeping her eye on a coveted spot in a training program for world-class pilots. She’s perfectly content to strive for greatness in the skies, and dance with a few GIs on the way.

Brawny, quiet American medic Joe Weber signed up with the paratroopers to escape his checkered past; he’s hoping that jumping out of planes and patching up soldiers will earn him respect and a hopeful future. Joe’s first real test of medical skill is on a pilot whose plane takes a hard landing in a training field; after rushing to the crash scene, he is stunned to come face-to-face with a gorgeous Rita Hayworth lookalike. And when the two cross paths at a dance hall a couple weeks later, he can’t resist the urge to find out more about this spirited, dark-haired beauty.

Their flirtation breaks all of Lulu’s rules, but dance by dance, week by week, walk by walk, she finds herself falling in love with this honest, vulnerable man on the run from his demons. But as Lulu and Joe’s undeniable attraction gains momentum, World War II steadily intensifies toward D-Day. The lovers only have one night together before Joe is transported to France for the Battle of the Bulge, where his skills and his instinct for survival will be pushed to their limits. Lulu distracts herself with flight school and the friendships of her colleagues, but she can’t get the handsome medic out of her head. Only time and hope will tell if her love will return unharmed from War, and if the two will be able to overcome their pasts to form a beautiful life together in peace-time.
  
I absolutely loved this book! Not surprising for I love WWII settings and history and to combine it with a romance - this was a no brainer for me!  Feisty pilot heroine and I adored the vulnerable medic hero!  This was such a surprise, and I was riveted from start to finish.  Exciting moments while flying her planes, near crash landings and what have you.  Joe was a dear, I loved him.  I just adored this whole WWII scenario!  I want more of this couple and see what happens next in their lives.  A real keeper, sexy, evocative, memorable - and what a cover!

5/5

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August and July Re-cap Reviews

Ten quickie book reviews! I've been reading a lot as we head into the later part of summer, but I can't say anything has really bowled me over, with the exception of one new to me author and my first venture into Texas historical romance.  There definitely seems to be a theme to books I've read lately: scarred heroes.  I love them for some reason, probably due to Jamie Fraser.  In addition, my fascination continues with the secret service, this time regarding the assassination of JFK written by Jackie Kennedy's secret service agent.

Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath

Book Description:
Arriving on the Fort Worth train, Miss Amelia Carson, mail-order bride, had never met Dallas Leigh, the Texan she promised to marry. The tall cowboy at the station wasn't Dallas. He was Houston, Dallas's brother, sent to escort her on the rugged three-week trek to the ranch where Dallas waited. Brought up in war-ravaged Georgia, Amelia thought Dallas's letters made Texas sound like heaven, a place for her dreams to grow with the right man beside her.

By all appearances, Houston Leigh would hardly be considered the "right man." The war he survived had scarred him inside and out, and he was little competition for his handsome brother. But from the moment Houston met Amelia, he knew she possessed the courage this wild land needed. She had eyes that could see past his wounded face to his soul. And he would fight any man—except his brother—for her heart. Now he and Amelia were riding down dangerous trails, sleeping under the stars, and God help them, they were falling in love.

This was a beautiful love story of a scarred and lonely cowboy who must escort his brother's mail order bride fiancee to the brother's ranch from Ft. Worth. It's a month long trek in which they meet many trials and tribulations, but the main one is how how do they cope with the fact they are falling deeply in love with one another and she is meant for another? Much of this story was touching and bittersweet. I simply loved it and nearly cried in a few parts. Houston's scarred life both physically and mentally was sad and painful to read about, but Amelia understood him so well. They were truly soul mates for one another. Well written, evocative of the time, Texas in the late 1870's, it pulled at my heart strings. Is it any wonder? I'm a sucker for scarred hero romances. On the surface it appears to be a quiet story, involving a simple romantic triangle, but there is so much emotion going on beneath the surface, it's much, much more. It's simply great.  This is my first book by Lorraine Heath and I'm eager to read the rest of her backlist, this being one of her earlier books.

5/5 

She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath

Book Description:
Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick—returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man—cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is betrothed now to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution to fight for a love that could once again set him free.

Another by Lorraine Heath, one of her latest in a new series, but I had my ups and downs with this one.  Set during Regency times in England, instead of late 1870's Texas,  I saw many similarities between this story and Texas Destiny, most notably another scarred hero and silhouettes as a seduction technique. Though I love scarred heroes, Sebastian is much too obsessed with regaining his title as Duke and regaining his lands.  Not to mention,  seeking revenge on the uncle who tried to have him killed.   Because of his obsession, he treated Mary badly, the woman he's supposed to care so much about.  I scratched my head over Sebastian's treatment of her, as did she.  I had trouble warming up to him and Mary's character was much too spontaneous and thoughtless of what she was doing.   Though she knew better, she disregarded the rules of avoiding scandal, to the point that it was unbelievable.  Still, this story wasn't bad, but I much preferred Texas Destiny.  Still, I look forward to Tristan and Rafe's stories.

3.5/5

Slightly Tempted by Mary Balogh

Book Description:
Meet the Bedwyns—six brothers and sisters—men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality.  Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Morgan Bedwyn, the willful youngest daughter, discovers that true love is a temptation no woman can—or should—resist.

Young. Ravishing. Exquisitely marriageable. From the moment he spies Lady Morgan Bedwyn across the glittering ballroom, Gervase Ashford, Earl of Rosthorn, knows he has found the perfect instrument of his revenge. But wedlock is not on the mind of the continent’s most notorious rake. Nor is it of interest to the fiercely independent Lady Morgan herself…until one night of shocking intimacy erupts in a scandal that could make Gervase’s vengeance all the sweeter. There is only one thing standing in his way: Morgan, who has achieved the impossible—she’s melted his coolly guarded heart. For Gervase, only the marriage bed will do, but Morgan simply will not have him. Thus begins a sizzling courtship where two wary hearts are about to be undone by the most scandalous passion of all: glorious, all-consuming love.

Morgan's story took me forever to read and I barely liked it.  For one thing, I dislike revenge plot lines and then I found Morgan to be the most annoying, headstrong, impetuous heroine I've come across in a long time.  I just felt like slapping her.  Over and over I rolled my eyes over something she did.  The worse being when she makes an incredibly rash mistake with the hero, Gervase, while in Brussels.  Didn't she care or understand the implications of it - and what that might mean on her wedding night with a future husband?!  Plus, the whole thing, brief as it was, was anything but romantic.  I cringed.  On top of that, the whole theme of revenge and misunderstanding was tiresome. It took me a while to warm up to Gervase, but once we learn the truth behind his scandal, I had more sympathy for him, but he really did nothing for me as a hero, and the constant French phrases of endearment he uses ma chérie and mon chère became irritating and clichéd. 

The first half of the book while in Brussels bored me to tears, and the endless nursing and bandaging of the soldiers after the Battle of Waterloo went on and on.  It was almost reminiscent of Gone With the Wind, but without the intriguing characters of Rhett and Scarlett.  Once they return to England it wasn't much better - maybe... slightly.  Morgan became impossible once she learns the truth of Gervase's original intent to woo her and why.  Her behavior towards him was inconsistent, which is it?  Does she want to jump his bones or remain indifferent to him and keep up the charade of being betrothed and then jilt him?  I hated this entire scenario, which comes up a lot in this series, fake engagements.  Yes, I get it, Morgan is only 18, but she was so childish, yet we're supposed to believe she is so mature in other ways?  I could not wait for this book to be over, and the only reason why I finished it and didn't give up on it long ago was because I want to read all the books leading up to Wulfric's story!  The best part of this book was the very last line - the cliffhanger lead in for the next book in the series.  Hopefully it's better than this disappointment.

2.5/5

Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn

Book Description:

Lady Arabella Blydon can sense the secrets smoldering behind the dark, penetrating gaze of Lord John Blackwood. Still she desires this handsome, mysterious stranger who stirs her passions like no other man--even as he warns her to stay away.

War scarred Lord John's body and soul. But this brazen, intoxicating, infuriating bluestocking poses an even greater threat: she is forcing him to care again. For Belle is a woman of bold, independent spirit, equally unconcerned about society's petty restrictions and love's hidden perils. And the beautiful, determined schemer will not rest until she returns joy and light to the damaged lord's life...and wins a place in his shuttered heart forever.

I really loved the previous book in this series, but this one fell a bit short.  This is Belle's story, she is the cousin to the heroine in Splendid.  She meets John Blackwood, the man of her dreams and shamelessly pursues him, only she doesn't realize that he is the target of a vengeful lunatic out to kill him.  John is also suffering from guilt because he was too drunk to stop said lunatic from raping a young Spanish girl when he said he'd protect her during the war.  It's been eating him up for five years and he feels he's not worthy to fall in love with anyone - until he meets Belle.  Not as endearing a story as Splendid, and I found much of it was sort of disjointed.  It also doesn't have the same seamless fluidity and humor of her later books.  Belle was kind of nutty - a bit too nutty - and their romance and marriage happened ridiculously fast.  Still, not a bad historical, it is Julia Quinn after all, but light.

3.5/5

Dark Desires after Dusk by Kresley Cole

Book Description:
Kresley Cole continues her bestselling Immortals After Dark series with this electrifying tale of a ruthless demon mercenary and the lovely young halfling who enchants him. A seductive beauty he can never have, yet can't resist... 
 
Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon's wicked touch.

Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs -- and claim his heart?

I really enjoyed Cadeon and Holly's story, it was hard to put down!  Holly, an OCD math genius in New Orleans, finds out that she's really not just an average woman, but really a Valkyrie, who's also "a Vessel" and tons of Lore people are after her to either kill her or breed with her (long story.)  Cadeon, a mercenary has been hired to capture her and bring her to this evil sorcerer in exchange for a legendary sword that he's been looking for - for 900 years!  To make matters worse, Holly is the woman that is destined to be his mate - and he's been spying on her for the past year, all the while knowing he can't have her because she is human... or is she?  Much happens on this crazed road trip as they travel north in the wilds of Canada to the sorcerer's castle.  It's oh-so-complicated, but also oh-so-exciting and filled with adventure and - heat, especially for the big "first time." Very sexy.  I recommend it! 

4/5

Something About Emmaline by Elizabeth Boyle



Book Description:
Alexander Denford, Baron Sedgwick, is a gentleman to be envied. He lives a rakish life of well-celebrated ease and contentment and has one person to thank for his perfectly ordered existence—his dearest wife, Emmaline. She never complains about his mistresses or his penchant for late nights out. His friends are envious, but they don't know the truth—Emmaline doesn't exist. But when he starts receiving bills from London for clothes, shoes, hats and a staggering amount of other female accoutrements, he realises something is decidedly amiss.

Posing as Emmaline isn't a stretch for the newly arrived Lady Sedgwick, she's been conning gentry for years. But as the popular baron's wife, she now has the one thing that has eluded her—entree into London's inner circles. Against Alexander's better judgment, Emmaline is impossibly fixed in his life. And suddenly Emmaline is challenging him to be the husband she deserves.

Emmaline is simply adorable.  Alex, Baron Sedgwick is nonplussed when the imaginary bride he made up to get all the matchmaking mamas and his grandmother off his back, becomes a reality!  Emmaline turns up in his London townhouse, posing as his countess and against all common sense, he goes along with it and becomes "besotted" with her!  She is a great character and I loved this book! It was a pleasure to see how the two of them work things out and fall in love.  Many mad-cap moments as Emmaline charms her way into Society, and Alex, against all good judgment and common sense - falls in love with his wife!  A charming romance, light, fluffy and fun - as long as you suspend disbelief!

4/5

The Last Good-bye by Sarah Mayberry

Book Description:
Ally Bishop knows the settling kind when she sees one. And Tyler Adamson is definitely one. Ordinarily this never-in-one-place-long girl would stay far, far away. Maybe it's the way he looks in jeans, or the way he looks at her, but suddenly Ally is breaking her own rules with dizzying speed. All that Australian temptation right next door...well, there's only so much resistance one girl can have.

As she dives into a fling with Tyler, Ally assures herself she can maintain perspective. After all, he's only here long enough to care for his ailing father. That gives them a time limit, right? With each passing day, however, she falls for Tyler more. And soon she has the strongest urge to unpack her suitcase and stay a while.
 
Another winner by Harlequin author, Sarah Mayberry.  The poignant story of grown son, Tyler Adamson, returning to his once abusive home to care for his estranged father during his last dying days of cancer.  There is a lot of baggage to deal with which makes the story bittersweet.  Lots of emotion and realistic issues to deal with, I really felt this was Tyler's story more than Ally's.  Although it might not sound romantic, it was.  The relationship the develops when Tyler meets Ally, the next door neighbor who manages to capture his heart, is a nice foil to what is going on with his father .  This was an overall good story with some serious issues, but a good love story too, though Ally's side of the story seemed weak in comparison to Tyler's.  I preferred the sequel to this one about his brother, One Good Reason, but this one still had me up in the middle of the night reading until I finished it.

4/5

Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill

Book Description:
HE CALLED HER MRS. KENNEDY. SHE CALLED HIM MR. HILL. 
For four years, from the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November 1960 until after the election of Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent assigned to guard the glamorous and intensely private Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. During those four years, he went from being a reluctant guardian to a fiercely loyal watchdog and, in many ways, her closest friend.

Now, looking back fifty years, Clint Hill tells his story for the first time, offering a tender, enthralling, and tragic portrayal of how a Secret Service agent who started life in a North Dakota orphanage became the most trusted man in the life of the First Lady who captivated first the nation and then the world.

When he was initially assigned to the new First Lady, Agent Hill envisioned tea parties and gray-haired matrons. But as soon as he met her, he was swept up in the whirlwind of her beauty, her grace, her intelligence, her coy humor, her magnificent composure, and her extraordinary spirit.

From the start, the job was like no other, and Clint was by her side through the early days of JFK's presidency; the birth of sons John and Patrick and Patrick's sudden death; Kennedy-family holidays in Hyannis Port and Palm Beach; Jackie's trips to Europe, Asia, and South America; Jackie's intriguing meetings with men like Aristotle Onassis, Gianni Agnelli, and André Malraux; the dark days of the year that followed the assassination to the farewell party she threw for Clint when he left her protective detail after four years. All she wanted was the one thing he could not give her: a private life for her and her children.

Filled with unforgettable details, startling revelations, and sparkling, intimate moments, this is the once-in-a-lifetime story of a man doing the most exciting job in the world, with a woman all the world loved, and the tragedy that ended it all too soon— a tragedy that haunted him for fifty years.

I enjoyed this quick read about what it was like to be Mrs. Kennedy's secret service man. Lots of interesting antidotes, but I must admit I was exhausted reading about all her travels and after a while it all began to sound like a repetitive travelogue.  She went all over the place - Greece, Paris, Pakistan, India - many times on her own without JFK.  I had no idea that she spent so much of her time away from the White House!  Almost every weekend she'd go to their rented house in Middleburg, Virginia (she was a huge riding enthusiast), then it was in Hyannis Port for the entire summer, Newport with her parents in September and Palm Beach for the holidays.  I had no idea!  I do wonder what the public thought of that at the time when JFK was president.  (I was too young to remember.)  Was their any criticism that Jackie was away from the White House so often?  The last parts of the book describing the events of the assassination, the aftermath and Kennedy's funeral were riveting and my heart went out to Mr. Hill and his eyewitness account of what it was like for him right there at the limousine when it happened and after.  He was very close to her, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn he fell in love with her during his time as her agent.  Who wouldn't?  A good book and must read for anyone interested in what life was like in the Kennedy White House (and outside it as well.)  Lot of wonderful pictures of Mrs. Kennedy I'd never seen before too. 

4/5

 One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde (audio)

Book Description:
Jasper Fforde's exuberant return to the fantastical BookWorld opens during a time of great unrest. All-out Genre war is rumbling, and the BookWorld desperately needs a heroine like Thursday Next. But with the real Thursday apparently retired to the Realworld, the Council of Genres turns to the written Thursday.

The Council wants her to pretend to be the real Thursday and travel as a peacekeeping emissary to the warring factions. A trip up the mighty Metaphoric River beckons-a trip that will reveal a fiendish plot that threatens the very fabric of the BookWorld itself.

Once again New York Times bestselling author Jasper Fforde has a field day gleefully blending satire, romance, and thriller with literary allusions galore in a fantastic adventure through the landscape of a frisky and fertile imagination. Fans will rejoice that their favorite character in the Fforde universe is back.

I've really enjoyed all of the previous Thursday Next book in this series, most of which I've listened to on audio, as was this one.  But this sixth installment to the series was simply... awful. I could barely makes heads or tails of it, it wasn't even the "real" Thursday through the entire book. Most of it just seemed to be a number of literary and grammatically themed gags all thrown together higgledy-piggledy in order to create an incoherent plot line about Thursday Next being missing (or is she?) and the "written" Thursday Next has to masquerade as the "real" Thursday to find out what happened to the real Thursday! Yes, we see some old familiar faces, but I missed the real Thursday as she's supposed to be! It just wasn't the same, although the narration was fine, as usual.  Still there was no jumping in and out of books, or seeing familiar classic characters from books we all know and love.  The fact I even finished this book took superhuman effort on my part. Big disappointment.

2.5/5

A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant

Book Description:
Newly widowed and desperate to protect her estate and beloved servants from her malevolent brother-in-law, Martha Russell conceives a daring plan. Or rather, a daring plan to conceive. After all, if she has an heir on the way, her future will be secured. Forsaking all she knows of propriety, Martha approaches her neighbor, a London exile with a wicked reputation, and offers a strictly business proposition: a month of illicit interludes . . . for a fee.

Theophilus Mirkwood ought to be insulted. Should be appalled. But how can he resist this siren in widow’s weeds, whose offer is simply too outrageously tempting to decline? Determined she’ll get her money’s worth, Theo endeavors to awaken this shamefully neglected beauty to the pleasures of the flesh—only to find her dead set against taking any enjoyment in the scandalous bargain. Surely she can’t resist him forever. But could a lady’s sweet surrender open their hearts to the most unexpected arrival of all . . . love?

I had high hopes for this debut romance from this author, but it just didn't win me over.  The premise of why Martha wanted the baby was noble but unrealistic to me and I couldn't get into the storyline.  It's just not my kind of romance, I guess.  I liked the hero, Theo, but Martha was prickly and unlikeable for the majority of the book.  She was too "good." Yes, I see how she is "awakened" but I found the love scenes awkward (as they were meant to be at first) but they actually made me uncomfortable.  The ending was rushed as well, I would have liked to have seen them have their moment together, finally happy - an epilogue, at least?  The fact she could not enjoy sex unless she admired and respected Theo as a person, explained a lot.  Theirs was a quiet burgeoning of feelings between two people who find themselves thrown together in a highly unlikely situation.  As a result, it took me a while to finish this.  Martha was just too noble and driven in her quest, to the point where she was blind to see that what she was doing was wrong - until the end.  The first part of the book was a bit dull with all her "goodness" interspersed with the daily grim business of getting her with child, but it did at least pick up in the second half as we see Theo's transformation into a responsible young man with a conscience.  Still, much of it was about his estate matters and trying to win over Martha by being a concerned landowner.  This had it's moments, but not as lascivious as the book blurb makes it sound.  A quiet romance heavy with the theme of noblesse oblige.

3.5/5

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