Amelia Benbridge still mourns for her childhood sweetheart, Colin Mitchell, who died protecting her. Years later she is practically betrothed to the Earl of Ware, who knows Amelia is still in love with Colin, but also knows they are the suited for one another, even if it's not a love match he is determined to have her. Ware bides his time until Amelia is ready for marriage. He stands by as a friend to her as she continues to pine over her lost love, day by day attempting to convince her they are meant to be because no one knows Ware like Amelia does.
When Amelia comes face to face with a tall dark and masked stranger at a party, she is intrigued and drawn to him. Count Reynaldo Montoya approaches the beauty and Amelia's world goes off-kilter. She struggles with her attraction to him, her guilt over possibly betraying the Earl of Ware and her memory of her true love, Colin. Ware is patient with Amelia, as he has been for years, but he doesn't want to be an after-thought to her.
Colin Mitchell, AKA Count Reynaldo Montoya did not die all those years ago, he did in fact disappear to make his fortune. Colin was a gypsy stable boy and believed himself far below Amelia's station. All the time with Amelia in his mind and his heart, Colin believed he was doing what's best for her, for he has never and will never love another, but Colin has trouble following him from France. While attempting to find his way back to Amelia, Colin is accused of murder and is now being pursued for retribution. He knows well that there cane be no future for him and Amelia with this hanging over his head. Colin is not even sure that Amelia will accept him when she discovers that he did not die and has purposely stayed away, allowing her to remain in a perpetual state of grief.
A Passion For Him by Sylvia Day is the third book in the Georgian series that was previously released beginning in 2006. Sylvia Day is a brilliant writer with a unique gift for storytelling. A Passion For Him is a tale of devotion that survives time and even becomes more-so with each passing day. I enjoyed Sylvia Day's A Passion For Him, and I highly recommend it.
Miss Anabelle Honeycote needs to supplement her meager income as a seamstress in a dress shop. Her mother has been stricken with an illness and the pittance Anabelle receives does not cover the medicine and care. Her position as the seamstress puts her in a very advantageous place to hear lots of juicy gossip about the aristocracy in London, and if some of this gossip got out, it could ruin some reputations. In order to help her family, Anabelle has taken up blackmailing some of the objects of the gossip. Things were going moderately well in that department until she is caught by Owen Sherbourne, the Duke of Huntford, who basically gives Miss Honeycote an ultimatum, jail or working for him. The proposition of designing and sewing wardrobes for his beloved sisters is just too hard to pass up, especially when the Duke throws in that he will take care of Miss Honeycote's mother and sister.
The handsome Duke has Anabelle move into his home while she fulfills her end of the bargain, and in the meantime becomes enchanted by the oblivious to her allure seamstress. Alas, Anabelle's station in life is just too far below the Duke, as he knows he must marry someone who on his own level, but he he just can't keep his hands to himself and begins a whirlwind secret affair with the seamstress. Even after he discovers that Anabelle is the granddaughter of a Viscount, he still in denial that a relationship could be possible.
Anabelle has no illusions, even with the temptation of Owen. She knows that once her job is done, she will fade into the background of anonymity. For the first time in her life, she has friends of sorts, as Owen's lovely sisters, Olivia and Rose immediately take to Anabelle. The sisters have not had an easy time of it as their mother ran away, causing a scandal, and their distraught father does away with his own life. These incidents leave Rose a mute and Owen wracking his brain at how to help her. In the weeks that Anabelle lives with the Sherbourne family, the affects they have on each other are astonishing, especially in the transformation of the working class Anabelle, into the beautiful companion of Rose and Olivia.
This touching story is a revelation that love can overcome all differences once one's eyes are open. I become more and more attracted to the stories where the females are strong and can stand on their own, instead of the simpering lady, backed into a corner. This first book in the Honeycote series by Anne Barton is a wonderful story with interesting characters. I look forward to the next in the series and definitely recommend WHEN SHE WAS WICKED to all.
Patrick "Colt" the Earl of Coulter, thinks that the beautiful Sophie, Countess of Monmouth is a fraud and he intends to expose all of her secrets. Recently widowed, with a young son in tow, Sophie worries on a daily basis that she will be discovered, and attempts to keep herself at a distance to the aristocracy in London to the dismay of her sister-in-law, who wants to show her off. Nonetheless, there is an instant attraction between these two that becomes explosive quickly and confuses both the Earl and the Countess.
When Sophie begins to receive messages of a threatening nature, she shies even further away from any relationship with the Earl, fearing that when her background comes to light he will toss her away in disgust. Until one night, that threat becomes a reality and little Timmy is kidnapped and the only one Sophie thinks that could help her turns out to be Patrick. From this moment on, there is no turning back for the wayward Sophie, who struggles with her past and present every minute of the day.
When Patrick discovers who Sophie really is, he does the unthinkable, he helps her, proving Sophie wrong on so many levels. Through this life-altering event, Sophie begins to trust the Earl of Coulter and he beings to open his heart to the unusually strong Countess. Patrick's own strict and cold upbringing made him believe that love was an illusion until he sets his eyes on the mysterious Sophie.
The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella, is a great story that shows that love surpasses all class stations and cannot be overcome. Sophie is a strong female, but also innocent with all that goes on around her. She constructs a chilly wall of indifference to attempt to show the world that what they say about her makes no difference, but Patrick sees right through that wall and has compassion for Sophie's plight, even though she isn't all she is made out to be. I really enjoyed this story and I do look forward to other books by Wendy Vella. The Reluctant Countess is a strong story with a feel good ending and a story of hope.
I've read so many books and it takes a great deal for a book to really stand out to me. Fight With Me is one of those rare books. Hands down, this book is my favorite in the series and one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time.
Julianne Montgomery is an investment banker that is best friends with Natalie from Come Away With Me. Jules as she likes to be called slept with her boss Nate McKenna and has spent the past eight months trying to ignore him and the feelings she has for him. Nate can’t forget the one night they spent together and finally decides to make a move on Julianne. He asks her to work late one evening with him. Jules is in for quite the shock when he asks her to spend the weekend with him, not working!
This book starts off hot in the first chapter, really the first paragraph and keeps going the entire way through. I couldn’t put it down. I don’t think I have read a character like Nate that has so many sides to him; the successful business man, bad boy (there is just something so sexy about a guy that has tats under his conservative suits), former fighter, romantic boyfriend. He is such a sweetheart, everything he does with and for Julianne is so romantic. I like that Jules is portrayed as a successful in her career as well as being a beautiful woman. She is an intelligent woman with a very girl side. The chemistry between the two is explosive! The two of them on the motorcycle is…oh god (I think I have to read it again). There is just the right amount of drama in the book to make you gasp and whole your breath until you find out what happens next. Jules and Nate have to navigate through their personal life while keeping it secret from their work life.
The story continues to bring back previously introduced characters (Luke/Nate and the Montgomery Clan) to create a really well rounded story. I am anxiously awaiting the next story in the series which is supposed to be Jules’s football playing brother William Montgomery!
Merciless is the third novel in the Mercy Gunderson mystery series by Shamus Award winning author Lori Armstrong. Readers have waited two years for this book and Merciless does not disappoint. Mercy has returned to her home in South Dakota that she is now sharing with Sheriff Mason Dawson and is trying to find her way as a FBI agent fresh from the Academy. Paired with secretive Senior Agent, Shay Turnbull, Mercy is assigned a murder case on the Eagle River Reservation. She must skirt the political intrigue between local law enforcement (Sheriff Dawson), the Tribal Police and the Tribal Elders. There are also many deeply hidden secrets and gossip among Mercy’s friends and extended family that seem to impede the progress of the case.
Assigned to do research, Mercy soon learns that there are more victims of the killer and he has become more brazen. Mercy soon becomes his next target and engages in a game to the death. Mercy has never backed away from a challenge and soon the killer is hunted my Mercy at her darkest and most ruthless.
Adding to the pressure of working a high profile murder case, Mason’s eleven year old son, Lex, moves in with the couple. I loved the glimpse of domestic Mercy and how she is discovering her deep love for Dawson.
The Mercy Gunderson series is not for the faint of heart. Mercy is a trained killer, a former Black Ops Sniper who prefers a good fistfight, a smooth whiskey and a new gun over candlelight and flowers. She is a strong female who has a take no crap from anyone attitude. Merciless, is fast paced with a tightly woven story that has a great balance between crime and personal life. You can read Merciless as a stand-alone book but to fully understand Mercy’s growth, the family intrigue then read the great series in order.
One thing you can be assured of when you pick up a B.J. Daniels book, is you are in for one wild ride. Action-packed and chock full of suspense, B.J.'s books always have the reader sitting on the edge of their seats gnawing on fingernails. as is the absolute case here with Redemption, the second book in the Beartooth Montana Series.
Once again we are in Beartooth, Montana. Jack French has just gotten out of jail after spending two years in Ranch labor for bull rustling, although Jack insists he did not commit the crime, that in fact he was set up. Jack returns to his old town of Beartooth to mostly familiar faces, but one new one, the new owner of the Branding Iron Cafe, the mysterious Kate LaFond. He hasn't decided yet whether he plans on staying in the town teaming with memories. The solitary and attractive Kate LaFond is a font of secrets just waiting to be discovered by the conflicted Jack, who is torn between staying on the straight and narrow or seeking revenge for whoever had him set up to go to prison.
When Jack comes across Kate for the first time, she is being accosted by a man in back of her cafe, and Jack reluctantly steps in to protect Kate, who insists she needs no one to protect her. Trouble seems to come to Kate's doorstep which has Jack stepping in as her savior again. As much as Kate tries to deny, she begins to have feelings for Jack, but her inability to be honest with him puts a roadblock that prevents a relationship from happening.
Beartooth's trustworthy Sheriff, Frank Curry has his own set of problems in the form of a dead body found by the river. This body does not bode well for any in Beartooth. While investigating the crime, Frank stumbles upon a photograph that will have key information. With the help from his former love and town gossip, Nettie Benton, he finds that writing on the back of the photo may be a map. Can this be a map for the treasure Kate is set on finding? While trying to make heads or tails of what's going on in Beartooth, Frank's past begins to catch up with him in the form of a seventeen year old girl named Tiffany Chandler, who rents a room above Nettie's general store. Tiffany comes with a whole set of issues that will shock the normally unshakable Sheriff Curry.
I did not put REDEMPTION down until I read the entire book. I loved it as I do all that author B.J. Daniels writes. She has this unique ability to astound the reader continually with her mystery and suspense.This book was mainly Jack and Kate's book, but I loved B.J.'s secondary story line with Frank Curry and Lynette(Nettie) Benton. They are hands down my favorite characters in Beartooth and I want them to have their day in the sun. The Beartooth Montana Series has become one of my favorites. One thing about this town called Beartooth, at the foot of the Crazy Mountains, is there's always something going on, but the inhabitants always end up taking care of their own.
I highly recommend taking this roller-coaster ride of REDEMPTION which is suspense at its best by the Queen of Western Romantic Suspense, in my eyes at least, B.J. Daniels.....
England: When the mother of Lorena St. John and her two younger sisters passes away, leaving the three girls at the mercy of their cruel stepfather, they all learn though bitter disappointment and hard work, that life is not all that it is cracked up to be. Instead of the pleasant and loving existence they knew while their parents were alive, they now live a dreary and hard one with their stepfather, Geoffrey Godford, rules his home with an iron fist using his step-daughters like servants. About a decade later, when Lorena is twenty-three, she is told by her stepfather, that he has arranged a marriage for her to a British officer and will leave the only home she has known, for Bermuda, where she will be wed to Commissioner Adam Mordaunt, who has brokered the match with Godford.
Boston: The Rawlins family is a shipping magnate, born and bread on the ocean with their progenitor, Sebastian being a former pirate. The handsome sons of Sebastian and Brigitte all sail for a living and are just as at home on their ships as they are at hearth and home in Boston. Captain Warren Rawlins, the eldest son loves his ship, the Huntress, and while he is much sought after with the local ladies, he shies away from the forbidden "M" word. When Warren's younger brother Garrick captains his own ship, the Golden Dawn and takes the youngest, Harrison trouble abounds when the Brits attack and take the Rawlins men captive to the island of Bermuda, where the cruel Commissioner Adam Mordaunt rules his penal colony like a slave master. When Captain Warren Rawlins discovers his brothers and some crew are taken prisoner, and the Golden Dawn left in a wreck, he swears he will rescue his brothers by any means necessary
After weeks at sea, Lorena St. John arrives in hot and sticky Bermuda to a dismal reception by her husband-to-be. Commissioner Mordaunt leaves Lorena to wander the island as punishment for not obeying his orders upon their first meeting. On the island only a few hours, Lorena is taken captive by Captain Rawlins as an assurance his ship and his men will not be harmed by Mordaunt when Warren frees his brother's and the other men. Instead of finding a simpering female who cowers in fear, Captain Rawlins discovers Lorena St. John is a woman like no other, and once caught up in his sails, so to speak, Lorena has a difficult time making heads or tails of the larger than life American, because once she realizes she is free from an unwanted marriage to the savage Mordaunt, she wonders if she is better off staying unmarried. Once Warren realizes Lorena is the catch for him, he is relentless in pursuit of her hand as well as her body.
Once again Mary Wine sucks me in with her strong female character. Lorena is a strong and occasionally stubborn woman and I adore her. Along the way, she learns to adapt to any situation she is in with her wits, not with tears. Warren is a dreamy character with his gentlemanly attitude one moment to the fierce Captain the next. I love how Mary Wine shows the stark contrast between the young, new America and the old and stiff British culture. This story was well told with action and adventure. Now all I need is a sequel!!!! I highly recommend Prisoner of Desire by Mary Wine. I wish more people knew about her work because she is such a great writer.
Janette Aston is fascinated by all things scientific, despite the Victorian definition of ladylike. Enthralled by Illuminists committed to scientific discovery, she sneaks into their headquarters. Darius Lawley, Guardian, catches her. He must save this rare Pure Spirit able to harness crystal power, from the rival Helikeians. The couple's attraction is sudden and steamy.
Here's what reader has to say about the book!
Love it! I'm a fan of Mary Wine's Highlander series, but when I saw the cover I found it appealing and fascinating! This is my first Steam Punk book and I think there will be more on my wish list. I was curious to know more of the "Illuminists". Her characters Janette and Darius are passionate in this new world that Ms. Wine created for her readers.
Janette's curiosity takes her inside the Illuminist's doors, she meets the most formidable man she's ever met. Darius. Love and intrigue in the search of the Deep Earth Crystals!
I really had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know what was coming next. Mary Wine is a high-quality writer that kept my interest throughout the book and gave me that feeling to read the next one to be released in May 2013 "A Captain can never be to Bold".
Ms. Wine is one of my favorite authors and again has written a wonderful story. I will definitely buy more books of hers.
5 STARS
~ NICOLE LAVERDURE~ READER EXTRAORDINAIRE
This is the first Mary Wine book I have ever read.I loved it!The story takes us to the world of the Illuminist,men and women of science and their enemies the Helikeian. Janette sneaks into a meeting of the Illuminist. The men soon realize what she is and how important she is to the order.Janette meets Darius and is attracted to him.Janette knows she is special but isn't sure until Darius explains to her.As their feelings grow Janette rushes to try to save her friend Sophia after the evil gets hold of her.Janette leaves a hidden message for Darius,who arrives to help.Janette and Darius spend time alone.There is alot going on in this story,minor "storys" that connect and form a strong cast and exciting adventure.
5 STARS
~ TRUDY POWERS~ READER EXTRAORDINAIRE WIN A COPY OFMARY WINE ~ A LADY CAN NEVER BE TOO CURIOUS~
"Wallbanger" by Alice Clayton had me at hello (OH, GOD! to be specific). This book grabbed me right from the start and didn’t let me go until the very last word on the very last page. We first meet Caroline when she is awoken in the middle of the night by some earth shattering ‘wallbanging’ sex from her neighbors apartment. This goes on for 3 nights with 3 different (and no less enthusiastic) female companions whom she has nicknamed "Spanx", "Purina" and "The Giggler" as per the sounds emitting from the walls. Now our poor Caroline has just recently lost her "O" to a very bad sexual experience, and is very bitter because no matter how hard she tries, she just can’t get it back (carpel tunnel be damned she still keeps trying). When she finally meets Simon, aka "Mr. Wallbanger", the more she tries to hate him, the more she ends up liking him. When she and her girlfriends accidentally run into him and his friends at her boss’s party, well let the proverbial shit fly! Of course her girls end up pairing off with his perfect for them friends (or so they think, wink wink), and Caroline is left having to get a very awkward ride home from Simon. (and yes, I still think that even if he didn’t kiss her to shut her up while she was yelling at him that the ride would still be awkward) I truly enjoyed watching the story unfold and both couldn’t wait to see how things turned out while not wanting the story to ever end. I am still dealing with a book hangover and am loving every second of it. I loved this book so much that I wasn’t even 1/4 way into it and I bought it for my grown niece because I just knew she would love it. I give his 6 out of 5 stars!!!!
THIS FABULOUS BOOK WILL BE RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 26TH, 2013, BUT YOU COULD WIN A PAPERBACK ARC OF THIS MUCH ANTICIPATED STORY NOW!!!
In this pulse-pounding and thrillingly sensual novel, New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian returns to the mesmerizing world of the Midnight Breed, following new characters into a dark future where an uneasy peace can unravel into war—and a great betrayal can mask an all-consuming love.
Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.
Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.
Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.
Before Delilah Marvelle, I am going to say that I really was never interested in reading books that took place during the Regency time period. Just something about this era never caught my eye, until of course I picked up her book Forever and A Day and began my love affair with all things Delilah Marvelle. The second book, Forever a Lady, cemented my faith and Forever a Lord makes me giddy with excitement.
Forever a Lord begins with the 10 year old, British Lord, Nathaniel Atwood's abduction in New York in 1800. Circumstances surrounding Nathaniel's kidnapping were very mysterious as Nathaniel was kept in captivity for five years, and once released from his cellar prison, he did not seek his family out in London, but remained in New York basically living on the streets. Nathaniel, now known as Coleman, always knew that his own Father was to blame for his abduction and wanted nothing to do with the Atwood family once he was freed. The thirty odd years since the crime, Coleman has become a boxer, depending on his own brute strength and street smarts to help himself and the poor community of Five Points survive.
When Coleman/Nathaniel discovers that someone is actively looking for the whereabouts or information on the young missing and presumed dead Lord Atwood, he decides to take a chance to help the people of Five Points by attempting to exchange information for funds. His plans backfire when he is told by his brother-in-law, the Duke of Wentworth, of his sister's death and unable to withhold his emotions of her loss, is outed as the missing Lord. His brother-in- law and nephew try to convince Nathaniel to return to England to reclaim his position in London society, but Nathaniel at that time is not prepared for that.
In London, the Lady Imogene Norwood struggles daily with her own independence. The nineteen year old beauty lives off the pity of her brother's cheating wife and her brother's own guilt of not being able to protect her after their parent's deaths. When her brother Henry tells her he is in need of money for a divorce from his unfaithful wife, he and Imogene come up with a plan to represent a boxer and win a championship with a quarter of a million pounds for the winnings.
Now, almost a year after his initial meeting with his brother-in-law, Nathaniel has come to London and is once again surviving by boxing. He still has not let anyone know he is in England and is devising a plan to kill his own father. Once discovered boxing by Henry Weston, Nathaniel is given a proposition by Henry and Imogene. The brother and sister would champion Nathaniel for the famous boxing match if he marries Imogene, but in name only. You see, Imogene has found out that Nathaniel has issues with skipping out on his investors and she concocts the marriage as the only way to keep Nathaniel in check. Warily, he accepts the offer, but the "in name only" marriage is quickly trounced when Nathaniel insists that he be able to bed his wife whenever he fancies, and mind you, Nathaniel's bedding is rather unconventional.
With the heir to the Atwood legacy back in London, society is all atwitter with the events surrounding Nathaniel, his boxing career, his marriage and his family. Will the secrets surrounding Nathaniel's abduction come to light and ruin the Atwood name? Will Imogene convince Nathaniel to remain in their marriage. Will Nathaniel ultimately win the boxing championship and set to rights all the hardships he has come across in his life? You will have to read Forever a Lord to find out the answers to these burning questions.
What can I say about Forever a Lord? Well, I can first say that it's become one of my favorite books. Delilah Marvelle is a brilliant writer with her talent for intertwining romance and the darkness in people's natures. Ms. Marvelle has a gift for making the reader succumb to all the main character's issues and desires. Forever a Lord is a magnificent continuation to the already amazing Rumor Series. I love that no character in her menagerie is conventional but utterly memorable. I eagerly await the next installment of the Rumor Series by Delilah Marvelle with extreme anticipation! Of course I recommend this book to all. I loved it and I know you will as well. Thank you Delilah Marvelle for making my reading experience so right!
~ KIMBERLY ~
5 Stars (Hook Line and Sinker)
Here is the fabulous book trailer for FOREVER A LORD by DELILAH MARVELLE!!!
THERE'S A PRINT COPY OF AMANDA MCINTYRE'S FALLEN ANGEL UP FOR GRABS!!
HAPPY 2013 AND GOOD LUCK!!!
Fallen Angel A hunger gnaws at Angel Marie Sutter to find the man behind the soulful music she heard played on piano at the Sweet Magnolia. Following her heart, desire takes her on a fantastic journey. When she becomes a witness to murder, she finds herself under the forced protection of a scarred detective. Her gentle healing brings the past to his present in timeless passion, but will she be able to hold onto this precious gift, or will a killer take it all away?
Shado Jackson is a lone wolf undercover cop carrying guilt over the death of his brother. When a mysterious, beautiful woman becomes eyewitness to a murder, his job is to protect, not fall in love. But when his brother’s killer again threatens to take what’s precious from him, Shado must find him before time runs out.
When I read the description of “No Proper Lady” by Isabel Cooper I think I actually squealed with excitement. Think Terminator meets Buffy meets Harry Potter meets Emma. This book can fit into so many genres that someone would have to come up with a whole new category... like historical science fictional supernatural romance. Jane has traveled back in time 200 years (she comes from 100 years in our future) to stop an evil wizard from completing the book that will bring an end to the world as we know it. Now imagine if Sarah Connors had to shove herself into a bone corset and sip tea and eat cucumber sandwiches with the women folk, and all the while acting like a bored lady who lunches. Thank goodness for dreamy Simon and his younger sister Eleanor were there to help her out. Ya see, Simon was a childhood chum of Alex, the evil Wizard who is authoring the big bad book of evil. As each of them honed their magical skills, Simon went the way of good and Alex took a turn for the heinous. Can Jane learn how to be a proper lady? (or at least learn to act less like a potty mouth?) Can Simon stop Alex's evil plan to become the most powerful Wizard in the world? Will Simon and Jane give into the mutual desire that they are both feeling and just do it already? I did enjoy the book, although I felt that it took the writer forever to get to the “good stuff”. I enjoy sexual tension as much as the next gal but I was getting pushed to my limit. There is always that inevitable moment that I can't put the book down, and for me, this was ¾ the way into the book. After that I devoured it and was even begging for more. I would most certainly give this author another try, I would love to see what other stories she has up her sleeves. I give this book 3 and a half stars.
