Review: In the Dark With the Duke (Lost Lords of London Book 2) by Christi Caldwell

In the Dark With the Duke is the second book in Christi Caldwell's Lost Lords of London series. This wonderfully woven tale pairs Lady Lila March, who suffered greatly during the tragedy at Peterloo, and street fighter/Lost Lord, Hugh Savage. 

Both characters, deeply scarred, attempt to heal each other in unconventional ways. Both Hugh and Lila transform each other's lives in ways that only can be imagined by delving into this dark to light tale. 

In the Dark With the Duke by Christi Caldwell, is yet another triumph to her credit. A fan of darker romance, this story sated my appetite for the dark along with the build up to an perfect HEA. 

~KIMBERLY~

To Hold a Lady’s Secret by Christi Caldwell

The mistake that Lady Gillian Farendale made by attending a notorious masquerade, has finally caught up with her. Now her unfeeling parents want her to make things right, but doing that would destroy her spirit.

Gillian seeks out her childhood best friend, Colin Lockhart, one if the numerous  bastard sons of the Duke of Ravenscourt, for help. She is praying that the promise they made as children would finally be able to be fulfilled. When Colin, now a struggling private investigator in London is reunited with Gillian, things don’t exactly work out how Gillian thought they would and she is disheartened as well as desperate. 

As soon as Colin sends Gillian away, he regrets it. His past with her comes rushing back and he realizes that she still means more to him than is prudent for a Lady and a bastard.  Her desperation brings him to action and neither of their lives will ever be the same. 

Lady Gillian Farendale is one of my favorite of author Christi Caldwell’s heroines. She is matter of fact, she doesn’t blame anyone for her actions and take complete responsibility for decisions she has made, good or bad.  Despite the crime that was committed against her, she is strong and resilient and deserving of a bright future with a caring man. The one man she has been on her mind since she was a young girl getting into mischief, Colin Lockhart 

Colin Lockhart has been on his own since his banishment from the Farendale lands, caring for his sister and mother. Discovered on the streets by a brother, another bastard son, Colin picks himself up and sets out to create a new life for himself as a private investigator. He is consumed with his business and until Gillian reappears in his life, he is rather solitary in his existence, keeping a small circle of a few of the brothers and his beloved sister. He is considered to be common if not below that for being a bastard, but has more integrity, compassion and honor than any man in the ton. 

To Hold a Lady’s Secret is one of my favorite Christi Caldwell books to date. While some of the subject matter is not an easy one, the story is superb and getting to that prefect ending is just a marvel. This story is meaningful and compassionate and will stay with me for quite a while. Bravo Ms. Caldwell…

~KIMBERLY~

Lady Scandal (Furies #2) by Wendy LaCapra

LADY SCANDAL the second book in the Furies by the so talented Wendy LaCapra, is a shining follow-up to its predecessor LADY VICE.

Lord Hugh Randolph, a spy for the crown has taken it upon himself to see to the protection of his deceased mentor's daughter, Sophia Beckham. After a tumultuous upbringing, Sophia lives on the fringes of polite society with the running of her gaming out of her home with her best friends. Danger lurks in wait for Sophia, a danger brought on my her father and his many unsavory associations.

Hugh  not only feels the need to protect this reckless and stubborn woman, he desires her with a growing passion that will not be denied. Sophia however has other plans when it comes to her life and society be damned.  Marriage between Hugh and Sophia after Sophia loses a wager with him becomes an interesting affair and when Sophia flees fearing her husband has betrayed her, she may be running into the hands of the very people plotting her demise. Convincing Sophia that her marriage can be more than a farce and that her protection means far more to Hugh than she realizes becomes paramount in this story. LADY SCANDAL teems with intrigue and mystery and sizzles with desire, the trappings for a wonderful read not to be missed.

More often than not, I adore the hero and want to smack the heroine in the head. Wendy LaCapra's LADY SCANDAL is a prime example of those feelings come to light. Lord Randolph is utterly amazing and I am attracted to his character immediately. Sophia, while being highly intelligent and loyal to her friends to a fault is also thick headed and in need of a good smack to the head. Her occasional irresponsible actions not only put her in danger, but they endanger those around her as well. Thank goodness for a hero like Hugh to take her in hand. LADY SCANDAL is fast paced and fascinating, a veritable race into the world of espionage and romance. 

~KIMBERLY~

REVIEW: Wicked Witches of the West: Rowan's Ascension (Wicked Witches of the West #1) by Beth Williamson

Never is his life had Jesse Nelson seen anything as enthralling as beautiful triplets known as the Murphy sisters, but only one sets his heart beating fast when he meets her, Rowan. Jesse has been drifting from place to place looking for work and when he is sent to the Triad Ranch in search of work, he is in for much more than he bargains for. The Murphy girls come from a powerful line of witches and keeping their powers under wraps has never even occurred to them. The closer they get to their 21st birthday, the more powerful they become but there is something in the shadows just waiting to destroy the bond the sisters have.

These are tough times for the Murphys and the Triad Ranch. Gus Murphy is still recovering from a debilitating accident, leaving his three daughters in charge of the ranch running and work.  Jesse begins working at the ranch and wonders what he's gotten himself into when he sees some of the odd goings-on at the Triad. Rowan feels it too, and aside from her powerful attraction to Jesse, who has been in her dreams since she was a child, darker things are happening that could tear the sisters apart. The only way to rid themselves of the evil lurking, is for the Murphys to unite and stick together and when they find that adding Jesse to the mix can make them even stronger, they must convince him before it's too late.

ROWAN'S ASCENSION, the first in the Wicked Witches of the West series by Beth Williamson is a unique and fascinating take on the wild West with a twist. All the Murphy family wants to do is survive, but the forces that are set against them, make them use their powers when they must. Jesse Nelson had no idea what he stepped into, but once he feels like he belongs on the Triad and with Rowan, he steps up and becomes what is needed. I love Jesse's honesty and his determination to be all he can. Rowan is as captivating as she is strong. She is the glue that holds the Murphys together and she will make the sacrifices that need to be made when the time comes. I love that. Her sisters, Maeve and Talulla have their own distinctive qualities that make me yearn for the the next stories. With her talent for story-telling and her unique insight, author Beth Williamson has created a wonderful tale with ROWAN'S ASCENSION that should not be missed.

~KIMBERLY~ 

SPOTLIGHT ON KIRSTEN OSBOURNE & THE DALTON BRIDES SERIES

Well hello all! Today we have the very talented, Kirsten Osbourne on the blog. You all know that my guilty pleasure reads are Mail Order Brides, and this new series by the above three authors is a great taste of the West as well as the Mail Order Brides. I am hoping you all enjoy the spotlights and chatter about these books... Say hello to Miss Kirsten! 

          Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I'm a married mother of one son living in Arlington, TX.  I have a degree in public speaking and a minor in creative writing.  I homeschooled my son until two years ago when my husband took over.  I started reading romance when I was eleven and haven't stopped since.

         Tell us how the Dalton Brides Books come to be.

Mutual fans of Kit's, Cassie's and mine all asked us to write stories in the same universe...begged might be a better word for it.  So when we met up at RWA over the summer (first time I'd met Kit, but I'd met Cassie in person in August of 2013) we all met up in Kit's room and had a little powwow.  Walton Dalton and brothers were born (Around taking pictures of our toes and making people guess whose were whose.)

           What are you currently working on?

  I'm currently working on the first book of a NEW series.  It's a novella that will be published in an anthology coming out on February Ninth.  The anthology is titled "Call Me Valentino."  My story is "The Matron."

       Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be?

I've wanted to be a writer since I was in fourth grade, and my teacher picked my story as the best in the class and read it aloud.  Watching the other students laugh at words that I had written hooked me.  In junior high I was constantly writing morose poetry that I forced others to read.

           Who was your favorite character to write and why?

 Hands down it was Edna Petunia.  She's a trip.  She appears in Violet, will appear in Iris, and will have her own book.  Who writes a romance for a 76 year old virgin?  Me, that's who.  And no, there will *not* be a sex scene.

       Do you have any role models? If so, who?

I have writers that I truly admire.  Julia Quinn, Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Julia Garwood (her historicals) to name a few

       Where can you fans meet you?

Oh, I'm always meeting up with fans.  RT in May.  There's a smaller writer's conference in Austin in May that I will attend.  I'll be a Featured Author at Authors after dark in Atlanta in August.  I keep my options open

  Who are your favorite authors?

Hey, I already listed them for another question!

What is next for you?

New series, and a continuation of the Daltons, of course.  I need to finish my Thrice Blessed series by Morganna Mayfair (my best work that people don't read.)  I plan on starting a Viking Trilogy by Morganna when I finish the Thrice Blessed.

  What would you like readers  to know about you?

  I'm passionate about everything I do.  I do my best to get books out quickly, and I'm thrilled to hear from readers.  If you have a character you're desperate to see more from, let me know.  I'll accommodate if I can.  I can't always, but I've written several books at fans' requests (Edna Petunia anyone?)

BUY LINK

This book contains a prologue that was published in its entirety as The Escape. The prologue is only a small portion of the book.

Through no fault of her own, Gwen Blue found herself embroiled in a scandal that would set Beckham, Massachusetts on its ear, and get her locked in her room for two months. When she found herself betrothed to a man she found loathsome, she wanted nothing more than to disappear. When her sisters liberated her from her room and proposed a journey to Texas to visit an old school friend, she didn't have to be asked twice.

Walton Dalton always had a plan for his life. He'd spent years learning everything he needed to know about ranching, and he had a large parcel of land adjacent to his two brothers' land. Between the three of them, they were going to build a Texas ranching empire. For his empire, he needed a bride.

Without his brothers’ knowledge, Walt sends off for three mail order brides from a matchmaker in Beckham. He knows from the moment he sees ‘Gorgeous Gwen’ that she's meant to be his. Will she agree to the marriage? If she does, will she be able to get over her self-centered attitude and be a good wife?

For as pretty as she is, Gwen knows very little of domestic life. Even with her complaining at first, she realizes she is in a much better place than she would be had she been back East. So with the help of her sisters, she sets out to be the wife that hard working Walt deserves. I adored this tale. Gwen's determination to prove her husband she is not the lazy woman he thinks is such a wonderful part of the story.

REVIEW: Texas Mail Order Bride (Bachelors of Battle Creek #1) by Linda Broday

This first book in the Bachelors of Battle Creek series by Linda Broday, Texas Mail Order Bride, is a gratifying trip into the old West.

The lovely Miss Delta Dandridge has answered a Mail Order Bride advertisement. Eager to begin a new life in a new town, Delta arrives in Texas only to be thwarted by her intended, Cooper Thorne. Evidently, Cooper did not place the ad, some ne'er do well , believing to know what was best for the confirmed bachelor did. 

Cooper, Rand and Brett  are as close as brothers can be, but the meddling that one of Cooper's handsome brothers does in this case makes for a wild ride. Cooper may want to run from Miss Dandridge, but the more he is in her presence, the more he is attracted to the beauty. The Bachelor's Club will do anything to thwart the marriage market, but even sometimes the most diligent naysayer gets drawn in. 

Delta is shocked and dismayed when she finds out that she isn't to be a bride after all, but she can't return to whence she came. Delta sticks it out in Battle Creek, where she finds herself self sufficient and very well liked.  Penniless but not without determination, Delta gets a job in the mercantile and things begin to look up for her. Now she doesn't exactly need her groom, but it sure would be interesting to see these two together. 

This first venture into Battle Creek, Texas Mail Order Bride, is a wonderfully written tale with solid characters who draw the reader in. Delta has pluck. I love her tenacity as well as her ability to adapt and endure. Watching the determined to stay single, Cooper wilt in Delta's presence is fabulous. Cooper also has an issue with someone trying to put him out of business and that mystery lead to a few tense and action filled moments in this book by author Linda Broday.  A true fan of the Mail Order Bride sub-genre, this is a wonderful read and I eagerly await the next installment of the Bachelors of Battle Creek, for it is a pleasure to watch them fall.

~KIMBERLY~