One Night Scandal

One Night Scandal by Christie Kelley 1117

Sophie Reynard is one of the ton's most sought after matchmakers because of her skills as a medium that allow her to read into other's futures and see their perfect match. Despite her friendship with some of the most powerful men and women of society she is not completely accepted because she is a bastard who was never claimed by her father, even though the rumor is that he is a powerful Earl. Sophie's mother has taken care of her as best she knows how but that does not stop her from running off every time a new man catches her fancy. Sophie is in Venice visiting her mother, who has run off with an Italian count, when an accident lands her in one of the canals. A handsome stranger rescues her and takes her back to his house to care for her and Sophie is shocked when she sees her rescuer in her future and believes that he is the one. Nicholas Tenbury, the Marquess of Ancroft, finds himself falling for the beautiful woman he has rescued and believes her to be Italian so he has no qualms about making her believe the same about him.

Knowing he is meant for her Sophie gives herself to him for a night and is horrified to read a letter he keeps that reveals his identity and that he is in love with one of her friends. She runs away and hopes never to see him even though she knows it is inevitable since he is related to many and is friends with all of her friends in London. Nic cannot forget the woman he spent the night with in Venice and it is not long before he discovers her identity and wants to find a way to ensure that she never abandons him again. Sophie decides she must help Nicholas find his own match because she no longer sees him, or sees anyone at all, in her future. Thus ensures several attempts by Sophie to throw women at Nicholas despite it breaking her heart every time she contemplates him being with someone else. The two have difficult keeping their hands off each other but Sophie knows that she will never be accepted by the ton and would not make a proper wife for Nicholas. Nicholas has to show Sophie that their pasts do not matter but it is their future together that is what they need to focus on.

I am not into paranormal romances and while this wasn't precisely other-worldly I do not get into, or really believe in, people who can "read" other's futures. That made it really difficult to appreciate Sophie because her entire self was built around her unique gift and she placed such immense importance on what she saw. There were many obstacles she threw up between her and Nick and her inability to see him in her future was particularly ridiculous to me and I just found myself rolling my eyes every time this  particular reason came up. I could not get a read on Sophie's character at all because of the obstacles she kept throwing up and at the end it seemed like the only time I got into Sophie's head she was bemoaning her belief that she could never be with Nick. There was always one reason or another why she felt she was not qualified to be a marchioness and I wondered if it was the only thing she was capable of thinking about. While her background and experiences made her actions understandable, it got to be incredibly annoying and it just came across as an excuse to prolong the novel.

Nick had father issues that left him feeling undeserving of love so Sophie's attempts to distance him played right into his feelings of inadequacy. Rather than explore this aspect of the story, it was brushed over and Nick played right along with Sophie in the attempts to find him a wife. I could not figure out precisely why he was so desperate to have Sophie and no other or even why she was in love with him. I got so little from either of these characters and could not figure out what their interests were or what they had going for them. The sex was pretty hot and there was a decent amount of it but it didn't make up for the overall lackluster, and slow, quality of the romance. They both had a lot of friends, friends who were all main characters in Kelley's other books and I quickly became bored of having it shoved down my throat how happy they all were with each other. It quickly went from showing us how happy they were to having them become just as important in this story as the main characters. I also felt like it would have been really difficult to understand this story without having read her previous works.

Rating: A boring book with far too many made up obstacles thrown in their path and far too many appearances by previous characters.

A Week of Pleasure

A Week of Pleasure by Christie Kelley 417

Kendra Smythe is in desperate circumstances; her family is going bankrupt and the only hope she has is to locate her fiance, the Earl of Bansfield before it is too late. He is completely MIA so she and her friend Sarah decide that the solution is for her to offer her virginity to Derrick Thorton, a notorious rake in exchange for money. But Derrick is on a mission for the Home Office and his twin brother Devlin is pretending to be him and it is Devlin that Kendra propositions. Devlin accepts, partly because it is what his brother would do and partly because he desperately wants Kendra, but promises not to take her virginity over the week they have alotted for each other. But Kendra wants Devlin badly and she does not want her hated fiance to get her virginity so she seduces him and he is furious. Devlin is convinced he has been betrayed, even more so when he discovers that Kendra is his fiance as he is the Earl of Bansfield. Kendra has fallen in love with Dev, whom she thinks is Derrick, and does not know if she can now marry her lover's brother. As the wedding approaches and the tension mounts, both Kendra and Devlin need to learn to trust in their love for one another and take a chance.

I did not know this was an erotica when I ordered it, so I was somewhat surprised to find that the book was almost entirely sex, and it was quite a short book. Kendra and Devlin were fairly well developed considering the length of the novel and I enjoyed reading about both of them and thought they made a very good couple. I would have liked to have had them spend more time (a lot more time) together outside of bed though to really get a feel for how their relationship worked. The sex was HOT, really hot, quite imaginative and rather beyond its' time what with some very modern language and morals. The virginal heroine is far from innocent as she had attended orgies and talked freely about some very risque things. There were quite a few plot holes that almost did the story in for me though as I could not figure out how she did not know that Derrick Thorton was her fiance's brother! Devlin also had major trust issues with women that were semi-explored, and I thought that the resolution was not really an adequate way of explaining how he got over those trust issues- in fact they probably should have made him less trustworthy.

Rating: This book was good for what it was: hot sex in a short little book with a couple of interesting characters, but I would not expect more than that.

Scandal of the Season

Scandal of the Season by Christie Kelley 1130

When Anthony Somerton discovers that his deceased mother is actually alive and well and running her own brothel, he is distraught. He runs straight into the arms of the captivating orange seller and in a drunken stupor he has sex with her and while his memory of the night isn't the best he knows that he raped her. He asked for help from his illegitimate half sister, Sophia, a famous seer, who promises to tell him the orange seller's name if he helps her arrange marriages for her friends. When that is done, she reveals the name, but it is to Victoria Seaton, the plain and spinster-ish vicar's daughter who runs the orphanage. It does not take him long to discover that Victoria is actually Anne Smith, his lovely orange seller, and her status has changed dramatically since then. He thinks the only way she could have made enough money is through pickpocketing, which he knows she is quite adept at, and whoring herself and he wastes no time in enlisting her in his next government mission.

Anthony has been hired to go to a house party hosted by the Earl of Farleigh and intercept a note being given to Lord Hardy, but he cannot go without a mistress because Farleigh is intensely jealous of the relationship between his wife, who used to be a prostitute, and Anthony. Victoria agrees to help Anthony in exchange for money she wants to use for a good Christmas for her orphans, but she hopes that she can keep her feelings for Anthony under control. This is more difficult than she imagined as the two spend time together and when she learns he believes he had coerced her ten years ago, she sets him straight and admits that she had wanted it as well. As her feelings grow she becomes desperate to end their charade before she completely falls in love with him and so she decides to try to help him by getting closer to Hardy. Anthony is furious that she puts her life in danger, but admires her willingness to help him and he realizes that his feelings for her have changed. But there are still spies out there for the two of them to confront before they can safely admit their love.

Kelley has definitely been an up and down author for me as I have really enjoyed a few of her books, but she has also produced a dud in my opinion. So I really had hopes that this would turn out to be one of the amazing ones, but was unfortunately disappointed. I liked that Victoria had completely remade herself with the help of a madame and that her life was dedicated to charity- especially since she enjoyed her work with the orphan and did not do it out of some need to help the little people. I was a little confused as to how she would have friends in the upper echelons of society and I was a little irritated by how frequently Kelley's previous characters made appearances in this novel. Anthony was interesting because he had some really great family issues such as an illegitimate half-sister, a mother who rose from the dead, and an overbearing father. I would have liked to have heard more about these relationships and really more about what mad Anthony tick on the whole and how he became involved with secrative government plots and spying.

Victoria and Anthony's relationship was pretty much based on anger, frustration, and downright mean-ness, especially for the first half of the book. While this is pretty common practice, it bordered into icky territory when it came to some rather violent kisses, especially considering their sexual encounter ten years earlier. While it wasn't rape, the very fact that he thought it was, made it just as bad in my opinion because he continued doing it even when he thought she didn't want it. Overall I wasn't really a fan of their interactions, even when they got closer, I still felt as though it wasn't enough. Normally I like her writing style but it seemed rather sloppy here at times, like she was just trying to chug out another book. The spy plot was boring for most of it and it just seemed to be a half hearted method of bringing Anthony and Victoria together and I did not really get into it until the very end when there was a great little surprise that I had never guessed.

Rating: Definitely not Kelley's best work with sloppy writing and rather boring plot and angry protagonists.

Something Scandalous

Something Scandalous by Christie Kelley 612

Elizabeth Kendel is terrified that her distant cousin Randolph will inherit her late father's dukedom and kick her out of the only house she has ever known. She also wants to stay in her house because she believes that the truth about her paternity can be found in a diary her mother hid somewhere around the house. On his deathbed, her father confessed that he was not her real father. She hopes that her cousin Edward shows up to claim his inheritence but it still surprised when Edward's son, William, shows up with seven of his siblings in tow. He makes it clear he only plans to be in London for a couple of months, enough time to sell of all of the non-entailed property and possessions. He wants nothing to do with the country he has learned to loath and believes a man should be judged on his merit and not a title he inherited at birth, and then wants to back to America so that he can marry Abigail Mason, a spoiled rich girl he wants to marry but has been unable to because her father disapproves.

The more time that Will spends with Elizabeth the more he comes to realize that his love for Abigail may be no more than an infatuation and that what he feels for Elizabeth is much stronger. She is great with his younger siblings, she takes charge of their upbringing and running the house, and she is imperative in helping ease his way into society. And when he discovers that his new position in the House of Lords may be perfect for helping him combat the inequalities in British society that he has so many problems with. But their cousin Caroline is determined that the dukedom will pass to one of her own children and she will stop at nothing to ensure that her dreams come true. When Abigail shows up for America Elizabeth is terrified that she could lose Will and after reading her mother's journals and learning who her father is, she worries that she could be become just like her mother. Will and Elizabeth must discover together that their love can overcome big secrets and big enemies.

I really liked Elizabeth and the way she goes about getting what she wants. She really was quite rational and worked very well with all of the methods at her disposal to make sure he stayed in England and it was great because it was part of the reason why they fell in love. I found that her obsession with trying to find out who her real father was done perfectly and it was understandable why she was so eager to find out his identity. It was also a great little mystery to the story that I loved the resolution to. It created some great drama between them as well. William was also amazing as it was impossible not to really agree with him on some of the issues he complained about as far as the British aristocracy went. And it was so much better because he was not blind and stuck in his ways about his beliefs because he was able to change and adapt to what was going on around him. Kelley also did an awesome job telling the story from both Elizabeth and Will's point of view and it really added some more oomph to the story.

Their interactions were spot on and really just illustrated what great romance is. They both acted like adults- no screaming fits (beyond the reasonable) just two people who were falling in love with each other. It was really so easy to see why these two were so perfect for each other and why they fell in love. There were a few conflicts between Elizabeth and Will throughout the story and I really liked that they were efficiently dealt with and resolved in a realistic manner that really left both them, and me satisfied. There was no big misunderstanding that dragged out and bogged down the book. The sex between them was also really hot as well as a little creative and it was a great addition to the relationship that was building between them. Caroline and Abigail were great villains as there motives were well explained and understandable, if not really sympathy inducing, and as always I liked reading about female villains. I definitely plan on reading future endeavors by Christie Kelley.

Rating: Absolutely loved this book. Two mature characters who had a great romance and a great story to back it up.

Every Night I'm Yours

Every Night I'm Yours by Christie Kelley

Avis Copley is 26 and plans to remain a spinster her entire life after witnessing her own parents' disastrous marriage. However, after discovering a quite racy novel in her late fathers possessions she finds herself eager to experience at least one part of married life. She decides that her friend and fellow writer, Emory Billingsworth, is the perfect candidate. Her best friend, Jeanette Talbot, is horrified when she finds out Avis's plans, but her brother, Banning, the Earl of Selby, is even more so. He and Avis have been arguing for eight years ever since he wagered that he could kiss the "Ice Maiden" before anyone else. He succeeded, but it has left quite the trail of bitterness between the two of them. But he knows that Emory is the absolute wrong choice for Avis as he has experience dealing with the consequences when Emory unleashes his anger out on young women. He lies to Avis to get her to call off her search and then offers himself up as a replacement. Avis is at first furious, but after one kiss, she realizes that Banning might be a better option after all.

The two head off to Banning's country cottage, planning for two weeks together before calling their relationship quits. Banning began the season planning to find a wife and even before their fortnight away he plans to make sure that that wife is Avis. He has set up the bedroom next to his a place for her to write and over the next two weeks they work together on her writing and he is quite a bit more helpful than Emory ever was. Although Avis still refuses to believe what he is telling her about Emory, she knows that Banning would never hurt her the way her father hurt her mother. Unfortunately she still is not sure that she will not one day strike her own children so she refuses Banning's proposal. He is horrified, but even more so when she continues to refuse him after they return to London. When the two are forced to come face to face again at a country house party where Emory is also in attendance. He comes between the two lovers, and Banning is forced to confront his own fears about death while Avis needs to overcome her fear that her anger will lead to something she regrets and they must do it to save their love.

Wow! This book is a perfect example of why you cannot judge an author based purely on one novel and I am very glad I did not. After reading the sequel to this, "Every Time We Kiss," I had decided to give this one a shot before spurning future endeavors and I can say that if I had read this one first I would have been sorely disappointed with her second effort. I loved Avis and Banning as individual characters and they were even more perfect when paired up. I know that it's not the most original of romance novel plots, to put together two characters who have spent their previous times together bickering, but it is done so well and, hey- it's a staple because it's fun to read about- that I definitely did not mind. I felt like there could have been some more angst over the wager he made over the kiss, and it would have been nice, but there was plenty of emotional turmoil throughout the book. Her fear over becoming like her father was a tad overdone, but it really lent something really special to the book and was certainly a more original fear of marriage than some other novels.

It was also nice that Banning was so quick to realize that he wanted to marry her and that he loved her. And I especially liked that even after he admitted his feelings it did not "magically" solve all their problems. Sometimes I have trouble with novels that pick up with two characters who already know each other as I feel I miss a lot of the development that I like, but I really did not feel like that in this book. When the two of them went off to the country cottage there were many specific instances where we could see how these characters were perfect for each other, such as him setting up the other bedroom for a writing room, their walks in the gardens, the scenes where they proofread her work and he is so encouraging to her. Once at the cottage they engaged in quite a lot of sex that was at least somewhat hot if not exactly spicy. There was the little plot involving Emory Billingsworth and it was obviously very integrated into the story as it really set things in motion. It provided some good conflict for their relationship, it did not at all interfere with reading about their romance, and it paved the way for the big duel at the end.

Rating: Loved the book! Great characters, great romantic development with a nice little conflict plot thrown in. Would have liked a little more excitement or ooomph!

Every Time We Kiss

Every Time We Kiss by Christie Kelley

Five years ago Lady Jennette Shelby accidentally killed her fiance, John, during a fencing accident on a wet morning. John begged his friend Matthew Harris to take the blame and protect Jennette's name and Matthew agrees even though he knows this will ruin him in the eyes of the ton forever. Jennette knows this too and she feels guilty but she agrees to go on with her life, pretending to be a happy and frivolous spendthift. But when Matthew unexpectedly becomes the Duke of Blackburn it is imperitive that he make his way back into the society that has scorned him for so long. When she finally comes into her inheritance Jennette decides that she will move to Florence to give Matthew a chance and hope that the ton forgets the past. Unfortunately it quickly becomes obvious that this is not going to happen anytime soon and Matthew desperately needs a respectable and wealthy wife to pay of his father and brother's gambling debts and restore his ruined houses. He makes it clear to Jennette that she either needs to find him or a wife or marry him herself or he will reveal who really killed John.

Jennette feels immensely guilty for the way that things have turned out for Matthew and she cannot have this secret get out as she apparently made a deathbed promise to her father that she would not bring scandal to the family name. So she agrees and things immediately get off to a horrible start as the first lady becomes terrified when she finds out who he is, the second turns out to only want him because she's already pregnant, and the third one's parents berate and scream at Matthew in front of the many guests at a house party. Meanwhile Matthew is coming to realize that he really only wants Jennette and Jennette is coming to realize that it is going to be very difficult to watch Matthew doing "married people" things with another woman. Not helping the matter is that they are both immensely attracted to each other and despite trying to deny it it was impossible for the two of them to stay out of each others' beds. Just as it seems that the two of them might be able to make things work a person from Matthew's past comes to try to ruin everything and once again Jennette is wracked with guilt. It is up to Matthew to convince her that it is their future that matters- their future together.

The overwhelming emotion I felt while reading this book was frustration and I did literally spend most of the book wanting to kick at least one of the characters in the ass. I had problems with the problems surrounding John's death as over and over and over Jennette declares that everything would have blown over if she had just admitted she did it. And yet she did not. And instead of trying to rectify everything by confessing (and I'm sure she had plenty of opportunities in the five intervening years) she keeps her mouth shut and goes along with the whole pretending to be a frivolous spendthrift. And then when it comes to finding Matthew a bride she just refuses to acknowledge that no woman who meets his demands will ever agree to marry him and yet she continues to throw women at him. While her guilt was bad enough for her to gush on about on nearly every other page it was not enough for her to actually finally admit that the only real way to solve all the problems that are bugging everyone is to just admit what happened and marry Matthew. I also really could not figure out why Matthew didn't just throw in the towel and either force her to marry him or finally tell everyone what happened- it would have served her right.

The very fact that I wrote that should make it clear that I did not particularly like Jennette and Matthew was not exactly any better. The guilt and regret completely overwhelmed the entire book and, while not leading to any fun bits of minor angst that is juicy and quickly over with, lead to a complete pall of depression over the whole novel. And that was more than a little frustrating as well. I also noticed that there were quite a few references to events that had obviously happened in Kelley's previous novel about Jennette's brother, Banning, and his wife, Avis. This was really to the point where I felt like I really would have benefited quite a bit by having read this book beforehand; something I do not appreciate. I unexpectedly liked the rescue that was forced to take place at the end (because of Jennette's guilt and insecurities) because it was not a kidnap plot and was not overdrawn; it was well written, quick, and did not involve dastardly villains out to destroy someone happiness. There was a villain in this book, Matthew's ex-mistress, and I enjoyed her parts of the story very much as she was an important part of the story, she certainly was a villain, and she was a woman so it was a nice change of pace.

Rating: I really was just immensely frustrating with this book and the large number of big misunderstandings and secrets (that could have easily been resolved or prevented) really impacted this story in a negative way. But it was not completely awful- the best I can say about it.