The Heiress Effect

The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan

Miss Jane Fairfield is the richest woman on the marriage market, but she has no intention of marrying any time soon, and her merchant background has already made her fodder for the gossip mill. She needs to remain unmarried so she can continue to live with and protect her younger sister, Emily, who suffers from minor seizures and their uncle allows her to be "experimented" on by doctors. She decides to let her independent nature and outrageous tastes rule over her and soon she is more well known for saying whatever comes to her mind and wearing unbelievably atrocious outfits than she is for her immense dowry. One of the men she's managed to upset with her blunt honesty is Lord Bradenton, who happens to hold a powerful and prominent role in Parliament. Mr. Oliver Marshall ha spent his entire life trying to prove himself and to earn a place in Parliament, even if it often meaning shoving down his own emotions, and his goal is to one day be Prime Minister. Brandenton tells Oliver that he will throw his considerable influence behind Oliver's attempt to extend the franchise, but only if Oliver will humiliate Jane publicly, in return for a slight she visited on him.

Oliver has always thought of himself as better than that, and he cannot imagine intentionally hurting someone else who has done him no wrong, but the promise of so much support is more than he can turn down and he agrees to Bradenton's request. His first meeting with Jane is not what he expected as she is much more intelligent and self-assured then her facade has lead him to believe, and Jane can't help but be drawn to Oliver. She thinks his status as a society outside, because he is a duke's bastard, even if he is acknowledged by his half brother and thinks of his adopted father as his true father. Through several meetings, Oliver becomes more and more convinced that he could never hurt Jane because he is falling in love with her, but he also knows that marrying her would be political suicide and so when the time comes, he does not embarrass her, but does allow her to walk away from him after no more than a kiss. However, he promises to always be there for her, and when an emergency arises with her sister, he is the only one she trusts and Oliver realizes he cannot let true love slip through his fingers again.

Jane was a nice change of pace from Milan because while she still had the haunting past and the familial issues, she also was outrageous and flamboyant in a way that was impossible not to like. Instead of coming across as naive, Jane came across as someone who thought her way out of big problem and wasn't afraid of putting her own reputation at risk to help those she cared about. Oliver's past was so well developed and, even while disagreeing with many of his choices, I could understand why he did the things that he did. I loved his epiphany at the end when he realized he was tired of always being "safe" and knew that he wanted to live dangerously and take a chance on Jane. While normally the idea of characters just being "drawn" to each other, which is different than sexual attraction, is laughable, Milan always manage to pull it off with skill, because she is so great at writing well rounded character emotions and thoughts and the reader really can see why the characters are just "drawn" to each other.

Their relationship was very well written and the two spent quite a lot of time together and I loved that they were always honest with each other, if not always with themselves. I could really tell that these two belonged together and would suit each other and work well in everyday situations. There was not a lot of steam in this story and only a couple rather short, and unexciting sex scenes towards the end of the book, which was definitely disappointing as I felt like these two could have scorched up the pages- especially given her outrageousness and his stuffiness. There was also a secondary romance between Emily and a student at the nearby university, which came with lots of strings attached because she has seizures and is still under the control of her guardian, and because he is Indian. That relationship is short and sweet and ends on a funny note with him turning back Emily's uncles' fears back on him.

Rating: This was more fun than many of Milan's stories, but featured her hallmark wonderful writing and well developed characters who are perfect for each other.

How to Lose a Bride in One Night

How to Lose a Bride in One Night by Sophie Jordan

Annalise Hadley lived in relative obscurity until her father, Jack Hadley, appeared out of nowhere and decided to invest part of his vast fortune toward marrying her, and her numerous half-sisters, off to members of the aristocracy. Annalise knows she is not beautiful and she has suffered a limp since a childhood accident, but she is hard working and kind. She is shocked and flattered when the Duke of Bloodsworth, the most eligible bachelor of the ton, picks her to be his bride but it turns out he only wanted her for her money- a fact she discovers when he tries to smother her and throws her overboard their wedding barge. Owen Crawford, Earl of MacDowell, is stunned to find a half-dead woman floating in the river and immediately takes her to the nearest shelter he can find even if it is a gypsy caravan. Owen has given up on ever being a normal human after living for years as an asassin in India and lives on the outskirts of his own family but something about this young woman draws him in.

When she awakes Annalise claims to have amnesia to avoid Owen bringing her back to Bloodworth and she wants to be up and out of bed as soon as possible as she hates feeling helpless. Owen is determined that she heal properly and appoints himself her nursemaid, even while rejecting the Gypsy's claim that she belongs to him now that he has saved her life. When it is finally time to leave the caravan he takes Annalise to his estate, planning to send her away once she is fully recovered. But when she asks him to teach her how to defend herself he can't help but wonder what secrets she is hiding and finds that he wants to know more about her. Annalise is falling for the handsome man who rescued her and who makes her feel safe for the first time in a long time. With Annalise's help Owen rediscovers the man he used to be and reunites with his family and with Owen's help, Annalise finally finds herself able to confront her past. Together, they know they are safe and can handle anything the world throws at them.

This installment in the Forgotten Princesses series featuring the illegitimate daughters of the wealthy Jack Hadley, neatly avoided falling into the series trap of focusing too much on past characters which I really admired. Sophie writes fun and very readable books that are quickly devoured and her written style is easy and flows nicely. Annalise was a wonderful character; strong and scared, caring and determined. I loved how Jordan portrayed Annalise as a victim of domestic violence who went from fear of the world to a determination to better herself and prevent it from ever happening again. Owen is a tortured hero with a buried past and a problem with connecting with other people. His past is certainly sufficient to creating such a character and I enjoyed reading about him overcoming his own fears and learning to accept himself and his past and looking toward the future. I liked that Owen helped Annalise overcome her fears and she helped him overcome his own, more buried, fears.

I could feel the heat between these two from the beginning, fairly scorching the pages, but unfortunately it ended up being a huge let down and they did not burn up the sheets anywhere near often enough.  I was frustrated towards the end when Annalise naively gave into blackmail from Bloodsworth just because he threatened Owen when she should have known perfectly well that Owen could take care of himself. She'd seen him fight people! It brought my opinion of Annalise down quite a few notches and came across like an attempt to create a big dramatic confrontational ending. The ending was of course everything it should have been and neatly wrapped everything up with a big bow, but I didn't feel like it was completely predictable because there were some added plot twists.

Rating: An enjoyable book that had much promise, but a generic ending and the letdown of going from such scorching flirting to one mild mannered bedding brought this book down.

What the Duke Desires

What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries

Maximillian Cale, the Duke of Lyons, is stunned to receive a note claiming that his long lost brother, whom has been presumed dead for years, is alive and well. The note leads him back to a private detective agency of Dominic Manton, where he runs into Lisette Bonnaud, Dominic's illegitimate half-sister. Lisette is the daughter of an Earl and his mistress and when her father died, his heir and Lisette's other half-brother, cast off Dominic, Lisette, and her full sibling Tristan and then accused Tristan of stealing a horse so he has been living in exile for years. She is frustrated that Dominic won't let her help with the investigations so when Max shows up she offers to help him find his brother, claiming to have information. Max is skeptical but he knows that only way to possibly find his brother is to go with the beautiful young lady. The two masquerade as a married couple and go to France where Tristan has been living and where Lisette has her own connections amid the French spying agency.

Pretending to pose as husband and wife brings the two into very close contact for long periods of time. Lisette has always harbored a grudge against the aristocracy because of her father and half-brother but Max is quickly teaching her that her judgments are wrong. She finds herself falling for him and it is her own insecurities that stand in the way of her reaching out and grabbing what she wants. Max has his own family secrets involving madness and he is terrified that he will go mad and does not want to put any woman through that. The more he likes Lisette the more he is convinced that shackling her to a madman is something he could never do. The two finally go back to London where they are confronted with reality and with every member of their family. When they are both backed into a corner they say things they regret and their future is uncertain until they decide that nothing else matters but finding happiness together.

Jeffries writing is very readable and her stories always flow so well and her books manage to be both fast reads and enjoyable. Lisette's story is interesting and I am a sucker for romances with such a vast difference in social stations even if it is horribly unrealistic. I loved how her experience as illegitimate colors her view of those around her and how those views were challenged and changed throughout the novel as she saw more of the world and got to know Lyon. Max's fear of madness is understandable but is quickly starting to become overdone in romances even while I understand there really is a limited pool of "demons to haunt the hero" shticks. However, it was done the right way because, even while still wondering about this, he came to realize that there were more important things in life. It is always a mark of a good romance when both characters change for the better because of the other and this romance had that.

The two worked wonderfully well together but there was not enough sex at all and the book wasn't really all that steamy to begin with and I didn't really get the sexual tension that was supposedly simmering between them. The plot involving the lost brother, while not really touched upon in my summary, really made up the bulk of the story and I believe that was to its' detriment. The plot brought them together and was the reason they stayed together, but I quickly lost interest in it because it dragged on for so long and really distracted from the romance between them. The truth was certainly interesting and came together in a big reveal at the end but by then I had moved on and was just waiting for the story to end. The book also very nicely sets up the next book in the series and I definitely plan on reading it.

Rating: An enjoyable read with a likable romance but the secondary plot took over and distracted from the story.

Lover Be Mine

Lover Be Mine by Nicole Jordan

Lord Jack Wilde is surrounded by medeling family members and when his favorite cousin Skye harasses him to meet Lady Sophie Fortin because she believes she is his "ideal mate," he agrees. Family legend has it that everyone will fall in love based on a fairy tale and Jack's chosen story is "Romeo and Juliet" since the Wilde family and the Fortin family have been feuding since a Wilde great-uncle killed a Fortin ancestor in a duel. He is shocked to find himself very attracted to Sophie and to discover that she is no wilting flower who shies away from a little flirtation. Sophie knows that Jack is the last person she should be associating with but she cannot deny that there is a spark between the two of them, especially when a stolen kiss ignites an inferno. Jack is horrified to learn that Sophie is soon to be engaged to an elderly Duke because her family needs his money and desires the connection that come with a titled family member, since Sophie's father was semi cheated out of his own title.

Jack has a past as he is the illegitimate offspring of a scandalous British lady who shocked the ton, and the Crown Prince of Navatarnia, a small but wealthy kingdom. He harbors a deep hatred of his father since he and his mother were abandoned in Paris at the height of the terror and his mother was killed and he was held captive before his British relatives rescued him. He has no desire to reconcile with his father even though he has been legitimized and offered the Crown, but he knows that the only way he could win over her family is to have a title. Sophie fears that the only reason Jack is contemplating returning to Navatania is to rescue her from a passionless marriage and wants a true marriage based on love. Unfortunately Sophie's father clings to his former hatred and Jack must find a way to prove himself to Sophie's father, but more importantly prove to Sophie that he is ready for love.

I really felt like Jack and Sophie were under developed characters and even though they were both given interesting back stories which were developed and interesting, I was never really engaged in their story or their relationship. A big deal is made about the feud between their families throughout the story and serves as a sticking point at several points throughout the story. Unfortunately this falls far short of the Capulet-Montagu feud and veers dangerously into ridiculous territory as it drags, as it is shown to be based on false assumptions, and as it becomes merely a tool to make the book longer. Sophie is apparently filled with warmth and a smile that can light up a room which just comes across as an attempt to make her likable without really saying why she is likable. Jack has a wild streak, which the reader is not really privy too, and by far the most interesting part of his story is his relationship with his father as he progressed from hatred to acceptance to learning to appreciate what he has. It was my favorite part of the story overall and she did a fabulous job of realistically portraying this difficult journey.

Sophie and Jack did spend a lot of time together during the book and I do consider quite a bit of it to be quality time but the two of them just did not connect for me. There was a much discussed physical attraction between them that seemed to be the main thing they had going for their relationship, and while there was quite a bit of sex in the book it was really not very hot and much of it was short and/ or purple flowery. Keeping in line with my favorite part of this book I did enjoy their interactions where the discussed his relationship with his father but I thought it could have been more. The writing in this book was flowery and the book was far longer than it needed to be as toward the end more and more road blocks were thrown in the way of their happiness, including obstacles that hadn't presented themselves until then.

Rating: An unengaging novel with two unengaging characters in a story that dragged far beyond when it should have ended.

Lord of Wicked Intentions

Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath L

Evelyn Chambers is the illegitimate, but much beloved, daughter of the Earl of Wortham and is entrusted to her brother, Geoffrey, when her father dies. But Geoffrey is in dire need of cash because of his gambling addiction and has no familial feelings toward the girl who made his own mother's life miserable and he decides to sell her off as a mistress to one of his friends. He invites Rafe Easton to the auction, never intending for him to bid on Evelyn, but Evelyn immediately catches Rafe's eye and he is determined to make Evelyn his own. Rafe is one of the lost Lords of Pembroke and as the youngest was left at a workhouse and has never gotten over his feelings of abandonment or inadequacy. He has worked his way up to own a prominent gambling establishment but he hasn't done so without making enemies. Evelyn is under the impression that Geoffrey had found her a husband and she is horrified when Rafe reveals to her that he intends to make her his mistress. She had always wanted respectability, a family, and children, and she knows that this will ruin her chances, but she also knows that she has no other choice and nowhere else to go.

Rafe intends to have a mutually beneficial arrangement and they agree that after their affair is over she will maintain the house as well as any items, including jewelry that he purchases and he decides to give her time to get used to him before consummating their relationship. Even though he had no plans for Evelyn to be anything more than a mistress he finds himself spending more time at his house, more time engaged in fun pursuits with her, than at his gambling hell. Evelyn knows that Rafe has a dark past and has a fear of becoming close to anyone, but the more she gets to know him she realizes that there is a good person underneath it all and wants their relationship to be more. Rafe cannot bring himself to admit that his feelings have changed and he risks losing Evelyn just as someone he thought gone from his life reappears and threatens him and all he holds dear. It is Evelyn who comes to his rescue and they both know that they want a long and happy life together; a life based on love.

The Lost Lords of Pembroke series have all featured a seriously tortured hero and a heroine who is almost too good (kind and understanding) to be true. Evelyn is naive in the beginning and I found her development so well written as she came to understand more about the world and more about her own past. I liked that she was a fighter and wanted the happy ending, but still faced reality without becoming bitter or overly proud. Rafe was incredibly hard and definitely projected an untouchable facade, but his cracks began to show early as he couldn't bring himself to abandon Evelyn. We learned more about his good deeds and about the bad things in life he has done (and of course how bad he feels about all of them) which make it clear that he is just waiting for the right woman to come along to help him work through his demons. Evelyn and Rafe work well together, but I found myself concerned that she was in a situation without any real choices and thus she wasn't truly free to make informed decisions. This gave her developing feelings for him a tinge of coercion (Stockholm syndrome a la Beauty and the Beast) and was more than a little icky for me.

Rafe and Evelyn did spend a lot of time together, going to his club, walking in the park, and discussing their pasts which was something they both needed to work through. A lot of this time was spent with just the two of them, which normally I liked, but because of the reasons stated above made me a little uneasy. Eventually other people began to play a part in their lives, namely his brothers and their wives and I was so happy that she was expanding her life beyond him that the character dropping didn't bother me here. There were a few sex scenes between them and they were all rather tame. Literally dropped in to the very end of the story was a big problem and it came out of nowhere, but was resolved rather quickly and really just served as the impetuous for both of them to realize and admit their feelings. Heath's writing is always fun and fast and easy to get through and this book was no exception.

Rating: An enjoyable book with great character development and an interesting relationship that held a few problems for me.

Seducing Mr. Knightly

Seducing Mr. Knightly by Maya Rodale L

Derek Knightly is the much loved, but illegitimate, oldest son of an Earl, and he has spent his life trying to prove himself to the half-brother who inherited their father's title and then threw him out of their father's funeral. He has amassed a newspaper empire, and tons of money, and one way he drew such a large readership is by featuring women writers. Annabelle has worked for the London Weekly for years, writing a popular advice column and earning the nickname, "Dear Annabelle." For just as long Annabelle has been in love with her boss but Mr. Knightly has been completely oblivious to Annabelle and she does have a tendancy to disappear in a crowd. Decided that she has had enough, Annabelle decides to enlist the help of her readers and asks them how to go about seducing a man. The column is widely popular as everyone in London wants to know what is going on with Dear Annabelle and the man they come to know as the "nodcock." Derek is excited about the surge in readership but the newspaper industry is in trouble as the influential Lord Marsden is leading an investigation into the industries investigation habits.

Marsden hopes to shut down the newspapers that are using questionable means to pry into the live's of the ton, but he makes it clear to Derek that he will look past the London Weekly if Derek marries his sister, Lady Lydia, who has the rumor of a recent scandal surrounding her. Annabelle follows much of the advice she is given, lowering her bodice, attempting flirtatious glances, and making Derek jealous with the help of her male colleagues. Derek is definitely beginning to take notice but can't believe that he could possible be the nodcock and he is trying to focus on winning over Lady Lydia who finally offers him the entre into high society he has been longing for and an escape from her brother's investigation. Annabelle is scared that she is losing her chance at happiness with Derek and decides to follow the most scandalous bit of advice and sneak into his bedchamber at night and make it clear that he is indeed the nodcock. With happiness just on the horizon they must face the consequences of angering Lord Marsden, but help shows up in the most unlikely of places, saving their newspaper, and their happily ever after.

I very much enjoyed reading Annabelle's transformation from naive and complacent, really almost a doormat, to daring and confident while still maintaining those little things that made her such a good person. I liked that she was independent and had a career but that did not jive with the woman who let her sister-in-law treat her like a common scullery maid and I found myself annoyed with her quite a bit. While some of the things she did in the name of love were out of character it worked with the story and with her development as she finally went after what she wanted. Derek was also a very well written character as he struggled to accept the life he was born into and find acceptance from his father's other family. This drove him to succeed at all costs and he was certainly driven to make lots of money in an attempt fit into the world of the ton. I could not really understand his inability to see Annabelle for three years as she was right under his nose and then suddenly find himself thinking of her constantly even if the duckling blossoming into a swan is a nice little fantasy.

Their relationship was incredibly slow in progressing as it took a very long time for Derek to notice Annabelle and it got rather boring to read about her infatuation with him while he was still hell bent on marrying the aristocracy. Even when it started to move forward it went at a snails pace with a couple of kisses leading up to one lukewarm sex scene. I was definitely rooting for them to get together and I could see that both of them were lovable/ likable people but I felt like it would have been difficult for the other to really know this as they weren't really together that much. I enjoyed the side plot involving the newspaper industry and the little bit of undercover work that was needed to uncover some very juicy gossip. It also raised some interesting issues about ethics in journalism and did a good job on portraying both sides of the story. I was also interested in the emotions surrounding his family situation and how he came to deal with that situation and would have liked more. The book was a little too cozy with other characters from the series and it got a little annoying. The writing was fast and fun, but really more fluff than I'm used to, even in romance novels.

Rating: Two well written characters, but a very slow romance that bordered on frustrating and a couple of interesting aspects that weren't romance related.

Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke

Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke by Suzanne Enoch L

Sophia White is the unacknowledged and illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Hennessey and his maid and as such she knows she will never have a proper marriage, or a truly respectable life. She has found employment as a card dealer at the Tantalus Club and in doing so has found the only place she has ever belonged and the only friends she has ever had. But her job has also drawn lots of attention and the Duke has decided that she will marry a man of his choosing or he will shut down the club. Loathe to do anything to hurt her friends she agrees to her father's choice, a self-righteous vicar in some far away time who has promised to dedicate his life to reforming Sophia. Before she sacrifices herself she has decided to have one last happy holiday and so accepts an invitation to spend the season at the country estate of Adam Baswhich, the Duke of Greaves. Adam invited Sophia because she is the best friend to Camille, Lady Blackwood, wife of his close friend, Lord Blackwood, and because he cannot deny that doing so will certainly create a stir among his priggish and lordly guests, especially his sister, the very proper Lady Eustace. Because of a claus in his father's will Adam must marry by his 30th birthday, in a month, or risk losing the entirety of his unentailed inheritance to Eustace's son, so he has also invited plenty of the ton's most eligible bachelorettes.

When the bridge connecting his estate to the nearest village collapses Adam and Sophia find themselves stranded together with no one but his judgmental sister and the servants for company. It does not take long before they are becoming closer than they either thought possible and even while both know that Adam cannot possibly marry Sophia, they throw caution to the wind. Adam decides that the one gift he can give Sophia is to try and get her out of her marriage to the preacher by contacting the friends her father has decided to ruin, but he continues in his search for a bride even while acknowledging that none of them will come close to Sophia. Sophia is furious when Adam offers her a position as his mistress as she believed he had come to respect her and so she decides to give up any hopes she had and begin her new life as the pastor's wife. However, Adam has no intention of letting her go and her leaving was just what he needed to realize that bucking conventions and defying everyone's expectations will be a perfect way to start the future he is determined to have with the woman he loves.

I very much enjoy reading Suzanne Enoch because she writes smooth and satisfying romances that have lots of romantic development in her story and writes characters that are easy to like and root for, and mixes some good sexiness in with it. This book was no exception and I found myself breezing through this, liking the characters and the plot, but finding myself irked by some of her more irritating elements. Sophia was very confident and self-assured, with hints of vulnerability that made her more realistic, and her dedication to her friends was admirable. Adam was reliable and fun and I loved his interactions with Sophia, but the book did make much of his little fits of temper, and while I understood I was supposed to be awed by how Sophia could sooth him, I found myself more than a little skeptical of his suitability for marriage.  Sophia and Adam spent quite a bit of time together, but all of their positive interactions occurred before the rest of society intruded, and once they did their relationship tottered horribly. His quest for a bride really made me like him less, as he openly sought to begin a relationship with someone else, while refusing to give up Sophia.

There was some very steamy sex between them, but given their histories I was annoyed that it took so long for them to start sleeping together. I did not have a problem with her not being a virgin, it would have been a little too unbelievable if she had been and I admired her acceptance of her past, and I admired his acceptance of it as well. I am always irked when they is a major problem standing in the way of everyone's happiness that is easily solved and her marrying the pastor is one such issue. It was clear from the beginning that if he wanted to Adam could call in his own connections and put a stop to it, so when it dragged on for so long it became annoying and the drama it caused at the end was unnecessary and made Sophia come across as far too prideful. The end was amazingly rushed which really just served to show how ridiculous all the obstacles in their path were, as Adam took care of all of her problems with her father with just a conversation and while Sophia put up some token resistance to Adam, it really seemed to be just for show.

Rating: A very enjoyable and readable book that strained even my capacity for unrealism in romances and suffered from the easily solvable problem.

Lessons From a Scandalous Bride

Lessons from a Scandalous Bride by Sophie Jordan

Cleopatra grew up in poverty watching her mother bear and bury babies year after year because her cruel stepfather could not control himself. She is determined never to subject herself to that sort of life and her opinion does not change when her long lost father shows up and offers her riches beyond imagining. Cleo goes to live with Jack Hadley and he is willing to do anything to ensure his three long lost daughters marry into the peerage. Because of her desire to avoid the marriage bed and childbirth she settles for the aged, and crippled, Lord Thrumgoodie, even though her dowry could attract other men and his own family members believe her a whoring title-hunter. She hopes that once she is married she will have the financial independence to provide for her half-siblings and her mother and save them from her stepfather. Lord Logan McKinney is in London to find himself a heiress so he can use her finds to renovate his crumbling Scottish estate. His sister points him in the direction of Libba, granddaughter of Thrumgoodie, but it is Libba's future step-grandma who catches his attention.

Cleo is beautiful and withdrawn and she pulls at Logan in a way no other woman ever have, but he cannot figure out why she is choosing someone old and entirely unlike herself. Logan is everything that Cleo wishes to avoid; handsome, young, virile, and he draws her far too much for her own good so she does everything she can to avoid being with him and giving into the feelings she has for him. Logan sets out to woo Cleo and convince her that an old man is no match for her lively spirit and finds that the easies way to do this is to seduce her. With no choice left Cleo tells Logan about her childhood and how she shouldered the responsibility of her household and lost so many brother's and sisters, but he knows that running away from her fears is not what Cleo should do. When the two of them are caught in a compromising position he believes he has found his time to help Cleo through her fears and show her that life can be happy when two partners work with each other for their mutual benefit. Cleo must overcome her fears and learn to trust someone else and when she does it will be Logan who is there to help her.

Cleo was strong and responsible and scared and flawed and I loved that it was the heroine who had a haunted past that scared her from marriage instead of the hero. Her fear of becoming pregnant and having her babies die was a very scary reality that women faced in those days and I can really see why someone would be incredibly scared of that, especially because of her experiences. It was a much more realistic reason to be scared of marriage than the half-assed explanations heroes use in most romance novels. Logan was very self aware and confident and he went after what he wanted. I really liked Logan because he wasn't scared of his feelings for Cleo and treated her well while he was pursuing her without coddling her fears. He didn't apologize for being a fortune hunter because he knew he was doing what was best for his family and his estate, but he didn't allow himself to feel guilty for what he was doing. I loved Logan and Cleo together because they were each strong where the other wasn't so strong and they complimented each other in that sense.

They spent a lot of time together and they had a lot of opportunities to explore each other's pasts and learn about the other and once they got to his estate it was easy to see how well they worked together and how their future would play out. There was a super strong attraction between these two and they had tremendous difficulty keeping their hands off each other even though Cleo was desperately trying to fight it. There was not a lot of sex and it was all in the second half of the book and much of it was cut short, but their was just a sense of lust throughout the book so it felt like the book was far sexier than it actually was. I really enjoyed this book because there was no side plot or murder or anything of that nature, but because these two each had such a well developed history there was still a lot going on in this book and it never felt lacking. The writing was as fast and fun as Jordan always is and the novel flowed very naturally and was very well written.

Rating: A wonderful book with two very enjoyable characters with a very strong relationship in a novel that was a joy to read.

Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed

Seven Night's in a Rogue Bed by Anna Campbell 1014

Jonas Merrick was born to the wealthy Viscount Redville and his beautiful foreign wife, but after her death the marriage certificate was lost and the Viscount's younger brother wasted no time in declaring Jonas a bastard. Depressed and lonely Redville retreated into himself and abandoned his son to the mercies of the very cruel world and Jonas grew up bitter and jealous that his cousin Williama would inherit all that should be his. As an adult he inherits his father's fortune, if not the title and estates, and wastes no time in shoving his cousin's nose in his wealth and William's own poor luck at investments. When the opportunity arises William tempts William's wife Roberta to the tables and she ends up losing badly; she promises him a week in his bed. Sidonie Forsythe has seen what marriage to the abusive William has done to her beautiful and vivacious older sister and has no intention of marrying anyone ever. She knows what will happen if William finds out what she has done so she agrees to take Roberta's place in Jonas's bed. She expects a monster, and though Jonas's face is scared, he is far more than she was expecting.

Jonas is not happy at this turn of events as he had hoped to get revenge on his cousin but he does begin to warm toward the idea of having the beautiful and kind Sidonie in his bed. But she is a challenge he was not expecting and warmed his heart in a way he had thought previously impossible. He agrees that he will not force her but will wait until she comes to his bed, however, he soon realizes that he does not want her under duress but of her own volition. With this he has proved to Sidonie that he is a worthy and caring gentleman with a soft spot no one else can see and the two tumble head first into a passionate affair. The term of their relationship was set for 7 days and all too soon their time comes to an end and Jonas knows that Sidonie is too good for him and believes himself unworthy, while Sidonie still believes she will never marry anyone and she knows that Jonas will not love her when she finally reveals the secret she has been keeping from him. The two have their pasts to muddle through before they can finally contemplate a happy future with each other.

Sidonie was, I suppose, noble for sacrificing herself to save herself, and while I recognized that her waffling was a part of her innocent allure, it was frustrating to read about her and Jonas circling each other so long and avoiding the whole reason they were there. I honestly felt like neither of them were very well developed with her being entirely concerned with her sister and finding out how good Jonas truly was behind his mask and him being obsessed with his being a bastard and not good enough for Sidonie. What did they enjoy doing? What made them real people? I just feel like I don't know. They spent a lot of time together obviously but it seemed like purposeless time with not much getting accomplished and there were only so many times I could be interested in her revelations that he was wounded and had been hiding his good self from everyone. The sex, when it finally came surprisingly late in the book considering that was what brought them together, was lukewarm and incredibly dragged out and just too much for me to find exciting. I believe the story of his scars was supposed to be an interesting little side mystery and while Sidonie apparently found it fascinating I found it to be much ado about very little.

Anna Campbell's novels are always very emotionally draining and very exhuastively detailed about the characters often angsty and mournful feelings despite the happier cover this book was no different. Both of them had so much to worry about and while I found some of it legitimate obstacles to their happiness together, such as her keeping a certain secret from him, others I found just too drawn out, such as his fear that he is too ugly and her fear of marriage. Both were understandable but if they were so all-encompassing as to stand in the way for so long it did not make sense that they would just crumble so quickly. That type of emotion also makes me question how the relationship can survive with so much... darkness (for lack of a better word) behind them. They have no experience being happy and loving with each other without all the other stuff hanging over their heads. I did find Campbell's portrayal of Roberta as the abused wife very well written as she fully developed her as a complex character with her own faults and strengths and not just a victim and I was truly impressed with her.

Rating: Far too emotional with two undeveloped characters who couldn't possibly end up having a happy relationship together.

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.

An Unwilling Bride

An Unwilling Bride by Jo Beverley 1105 

Beth Armitage grew up quietly, but happily, with her Aunt Emma and eventually became a satisfied school teacher for young ladies. The Duke of Belcraven originally accepted his wife's son, conceived with another man, as his own, but when his own two sons passed away he had difficulty being completely happy with the situation and it caused a rift between him and the Duchess. When he discovers that Beth is his own bastard child he decides that the perfect solution is for Beth to marry his heir, Lucien de Veux, the Marquess of Arden. Lucien is shocked to learn the truth of his parentage and feels adrift to no longer be a true de Veux, but he has no intention of following the Duke's orders until Belcraven threatens to leave all of his money elsewhere and leave Lucien with a bankrupt estate. Beth too is horrified by the proposal but the Duke once again resorts to blackmail to get the marriage he wants and Beth is moved to London where she tries to fit into London society and tries to get to know her future husband. 

Beth has always been a believer in equality for men and women and for the classes and it is not long before she and Lucien are exchanging quotations and philosophizing on the rights of men and women. They both enjoy the banter but Beth is not reconciled to her plight and she insinuates that she may not be a virgin. Despite not being a virgin himself, Lucien is horrified at the implication and her mistake colors every interaction they have as he cannot look at her the same way. She regrets her hasty words but the chasm between them only continues to grow as he starts to go out in the evenings. No matter how awkward the wedding must go on, but now she is terrified of consummating the marriage as the gulf between them continues to widen and they both wonder if anything will ever come of their marriage. There is also the matter of a man from Lucien's past who is threatening the happiness of one of Beth's former students and she is determined to help her friend. Lucien and Beth work together to help this girl and in the process discover that they are perfect for each other. 

I love that Beth had a career and a purpose in life and was so well educated she could hold her own with the most well to do men. She was shy and introverted and her reactions to being forced into marriage were very realistic because she recognized she had to succumb because of what the Duke was holding over her head, and yet her pride still compelled her to do all in her power to try to stop the wedding. She was insecure about herself and unsure of how she would fit with her very handsome husband and his glittering and well connected friends. Lucien overcame the truth of his parentage very quickly and he reacted fairly to what was happening to him and Beth as neither of them got very mad at each other and they recognized that they were both victims of this scheme. I felt like they were too controlled and were holding so much in and went about their interactions far too rationally. There was  a lot of talking, a lot of them sharing quotes to see who was the best at it, and it was jut not to my taste. Seriously? Taking turns quoting people? Completely ridiculous. 

Because of Beth's fear of intimacy there was basically no sex in the book and very little lust even though that very little was enough to make Beth's head spin and send her off into endless little mind tortures. This book has apparently gained some notoriety because Lucien backhands Beth when he believes she has had another man in her room. I obviously found it abhorrent but I was willing to be open minded given the right circumstances, but those never arrived. She just accepted that it would never happen again and that he was provoked (even though I did not feel like it was that big of a provocation) and he apologized and spent less than a page regretting what happened. I was also horrified by the fact that less than an hour after the slap Beth was sitting in Lucien's former mistresses house and they were becoming the best of friends. Ugh. The plot involving her former pupil became the entire focus of the last quarter of the book and overwhelmed what could have been them finally falling in love. The book also felt like an homage to Beverley's former books in the series and a setup for the next which I didn't like.

Rating: Two incredibly talkative people who did not behave normally around each other and actions I didn't like and a side plot that overwhelmed.

Unveiled

Unveiled by Courtney Milan 915

Ash Turner is returning to Parford Manor in triumph; after being turned aside by the current Duke, he is now the declared heir after revealing that the Duke's marriage was illegal and his two sons and daughter are illegitimate. Lady Margaret Dalyrample is staying on at Parford pretending to be her sick father's nurse in order to spy on Ash to aid her brother's in their attempt to Petition Parliament to declare all of them legitimate. She is determined to hate the man who has torn her life asunder, but from the second he arrives he defies all her expectations and makes it difficult to despise him. He is kind, he listens to her and treats her as if her opinions matter and it becomes apparent that there is a past between Ash and his younger brothers and Margaret's own male relatives, and it is the Turner's who come out better in those comparisons. With a single glance from Ash Turner makes Margaret feel like she is important, that she matters, and that is all that she needs in these traumatic times when nothing seems to be going right. Ash has always trusted his instinct in business matters and when it comes to people and he knows that Margaret is special and wastes no time in making it clear to everyone how much she means to him.

No matter how special Ash makes her feel, no matter how charming he is, she cannot forget that he is the one who has caused her to be ostracized from society and turned her into a bastard. She is the only person that Ash can trust with his secret; he is unable to read because the letters on the page jumble up on him. And when his younger brothers come to visit, it becomes clear to Margaret that there is a vulnerable side to Ash and she learns that his motivation is to create a better life for them then the one they had growing up with their hyper religious mother. The closer they become the more she worries over his reaction when she is forced to reveal who she really is to him and how it will threaten their growing relationship. With a vote in Parliament coming up over who will inherit the Dukedom, Margaret knows she will be forced to choose between her family and the man who is coming to mean so much to her. And Ash will once again prove to be as amazing as she has always believed when everything comes out and he is standing there and they both know that they are supposed to be together.

By the time I had read 50 pages I was in love with Milan's writing; it is simply gorgeous in details and descriptions and in conveying emotions, without being overly wordy or flowery. Just remembering it I am blown away by her ability to make me truly understand what her characters are going through. Margaret and Ash were phenomenal characters because both were well written, caring, beautiful, and flawed in a way that made them so real to me. I love how torn she was between her family and the love of her life and how Ash was the one encouraging her the whole time to do what she needed to do even while knowing her choice could affect him. Her fear over being turned away from the life she had lead for so many years, her dedication to caring for her very mean-spirited father, and over what would happen with her relationship with Ash fleshed her out in a way that is very hard to accomplish in writing. Although I disagreed with the choices she made at times, it turned out the way it had to turn out and she remained true to herself throughout the book.

Ash was on a completely different plane than 99.9% of romance novel heroes. He had all the physical characteristics, he had the childhood trauma- living with a crazy religious mother, the hardship to overcome- dyslexia. But it was his reactions to Margaret that made him special; his single-minded dedication to her happiness, even if it could possibly come at the expense of his own. His reactions to her and the things she did made him the most amazing and understanding person and man I really wanted him for myself. Their relationship developed throughout the novel, by getting to know each other and I love how they could trust each other and Ash, the strong silent type, opened up to her. There was a lot of sexual tension between them, but there was not all that much sex and it was fairly hot if nothing spectacular. Their families played a really important role in this story because their respective brothers were their motivation, their enemies, and their best support all at the same time and I really liked that.

Rating: A very good book with two amazing characters, real characters who had a romantic, supportive, and special relationship. I was torn between 4 and 5 but the mediocre sex and very slight drag made it 4.

The School for Brides

The School for Brides by Cheryl Ann Smith 912

Evangeline, the bastard daughter of a nobleman and his long time mistress Charlotte, has been masquerading as the prim, proper, and homely Miss Eva Black for years. Her father and mother were in love but after his death the two women were at the mercy of the law and her father's very bitter wife. Determined to help girls escape the life that her mother led Eva opened a school to train courtesans how to act and behave as proper ladies in order to prepare them for advantageous marriages, if not for marriage into the nobility. Nicholas, the Duke of Stanfield, is furious at Eva for stealing his mistress, Arabella, and shocked when he discovers what she had done with the former courtesan. Bent on revenge he buys up the debts that Charlotte had accrued during the mental decline she suffered after her protector's death and demands immediate payment from Eva. But Eva's reaction intrigues Nicholas and suddenly he realizes the perfect solution to his problem is for Eva to take the place of the mistress she had "stolen" from him.

Eva is horrified at the prospect of becoming a courtesan, but not only does she need to save her home as a safe place for her mother, she is tempted by Nicholas and the pleasure he promises her. She goes to him and he is stunned to discover that she is a virgin and he knows that one night with her will never be enough. However, Eva does not want to become like her mother and risk falling in love with a man who could never belong to her. Making things even more complicated for Eva is the sudden appearance of one of her half-sisters, a woman Eva had been lead to believe wanted nothing to do with her and only wished her hard. Suddenly Nicholas is forced to confront the truth about the woman he seduced under false pretenses and rethink his plan to marry a boring society maiden and keep a mistress on the side. But just as he's thinking about changing the course of his life one of Eva's reformed courtesans goes missing and helping her could be just what he needs to do to prove to her that despite her past, their future together is what counts and that as long as they love each other they can weather any storm.

The plot of this book was incredibly intriguing to me and I really like the idea of a school that is dedicated to helping courtesan's find husbands, not reform them because of religious or moral reasons, but because she genuinely wants these women to have more options. It came across as very advanced thinking for that time, but also realistic for someone with her back ground and past experiences. This made Eva such an admirable character and I liked that she cared deeply for her mother, but there were also elements of her that were frustrating. She held onto her belief that she was not good enough for Nicholas long after I felt that every obstacle in her path, from Nicholas to his mother to her way of contributing to society. It got to be a little much and I wanted her to just accept that she was good enough. Nicholas is a very hard to define character because he certainly started off as a douche to put it bluntly, and while he did make some definite improvements throughout the course of the book, I still felt like he was a bit of a snob and a misogynist.

Nicholas and Eva spent a lot of time together, which does often lead to a likable romance, but their initial few meetings were marred by the blackmail and the abject hatred they both seemed to harbor for each other. Things definitely got better the more time they spent together, but were still tinged with something that made me a little uncomfortable because I felt like they weren't coming at each other on equal footing until he discovered who her father was (like I said he was a bit of a snob) and he started thinking about marrying her. Once that occurred I liked it more because I liked that he was the one with the disadvantage and he was genuinely going after her. The sex between them was really hot, if somewhat long and drawn out, and there really was a decent amount of it spread throughout the course of the book. I also liked the brief side plot involving the missing courtesan because it was quick, but I did feel like it got a little too cutesy and featured too many "sassy" women working together as the bestest best friends. Side characters were really well done and I wish we'd seen more of both of their mothers.

Rating: A decent book that was easy to read and I enjoyed something genuinely new and interesting to me, but there were problems with the hero not reforming as much as I would have liked.

Marrying the Marquis

Marrying the Marquis by Patricia Grasso 906

Blaze Flambeau is one of seven illegitimate daughters of the Duke of Inverary and his longtime mistress and her step-mother, the new duchess, is determined to see her and all of her sister's married off. However, Blaze is different than most of the young women of the ton because she has a connection with animals and can communicate with them. Not only is she a vegetarian (who eats eggs and butter and drinks milk) but she holds funerals for her step-mother's furs. The duchess invites 3 young men to a dinner/ party to meet Blaze; Ross, the Marquis of Awe, Ross's older half-brother, Dirk Stanley, an Earl in his own right, and Prince Lykos Kazanov and the Duke holds no doubt that Ross is the one who is meant for his daughter. Ross discovers that Blaze is just as into horse racing as he is and decides that the best way to win her heart is to help her prepare her filly, Pegasus, for upcoming races in order for her to win a Crown. Pegasus' problem is that she doesn't like to ride between two horses but because the horse race is so soon they agree that Blaze will ride her because of the telepathy.

Throughout all of this the Duke is trying to discover who murdered his horse jockey and he enlists the help of Blaze to spy on Ross, who is a possible suspect, and another daughter, Raven, who has the ability to "sense" things when she touches objects. Luckily Blaze is doing splendidly as a horse jockey, even though she has to pretend to be a man, but in an attempt to get closer to Blaze, Ross blackmails her into being intimate with him, even while ensuring that she was willing, about her participation in the race. During a second race someone attempts to poison her and suddenly everyone recognizes that there is a mad man out there trying to do away with people working with the jockey club. People also discover that Blaze is pregnant and suddenly both Blaze and Ross have a way to get what they want, marriage to each other, even while neither will admit it to the other and Ross' mother makes it clear that she does not want Blaze in her family. The race is on to discover who wants to hurt Blaze and the other people and horses in the jockey club and only then can Blaze and Ross settle in to a life of happiness and love.

I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of paranormal romances or where there are completely unrealistic/ ridiculous little bits thrown in and her ability to commune with animals was just something that I do not want to read in my romances. Perhaps because there's always a certain amount of belief that needs to be suspended to enjoy a historical romance and ghosts and animal talking just means I need to suspend all belief and just give up and think of it all as just made up fluff. What irritates me the most about this though is that the book gives away none of this on the back blurb and was just left as an unpleasant surprise for me. Even aside from her unbelievable abilities, Blaze continued to push the boundaries of realism because of her complete lack of any of the sensibilities a woman, or even a person, in the 19th century would possess. She got away with ruining costly possessions, riding a horse in a horse race, interrupting her father's business meetings, and interfering in jockey club business. While I found her love of animals a fun character quirk, it was just done too oddly, unlike Kleypas' Love in the Afternoon.

Ross was another unexciting romance novel hero, with a take charge personality, a wealth of information on a very manly topic and a desire to protect the heroine. His desire to marry Blaze surfaced very abruptly when all he seemed to know about her was her ability to communicate with animals, which doesn't seem like the basis for a strong relationship. And his ploy to get her into bed was not only ridiculous, but also made me feel a little icky even while he "made sure" that she was willing. Sadly enough, the most interesting part of this book was the horse racing that occurred in the first half, which is not a good sign since I don't even like horse racing. The mystery over what was happening to the jockeys and the horses was interesting enough because it contained quite a lot of clues and twist and turns and, while not a complete surprise, was enough of a shock to be satisfying. I just wish it had not been so overwhelming and taken over for the romance, even if that was lackluster. I also did not like how the book so obviously sets up the next book in the series, especially since I'm not interested in them.

Rating: Two characters who were mediocre at best and ridiculous at worst with bizarre fantasy thrown in and a good mystery where the best going for it was horse racing- my least favorite "sport."

A Scoundrel's Surrender

A Scoundrel's Surrender by Jenna Petersen 807

When Caleb Talbot found out that he was the product of an affair his mother had he finds comfort in the arms of his sister-in-law's best friend, Marah Farnsworth. Marah has enjoyed getting to know Caleb during her time in London and when he needs someone to help him in this difficult time she sees how close they have become and expects that their relationship will only deepen. But in his hurt Caleb turns his back on everyone and runs away to hid in the bottom of glasses and drown his sorrow, leaving Marah heartbroken and determined to never think about him again. Caleb comes home two years later when his brother informs him that their father, well the man who raised Caleb, is dying. Caleb does not want to stay with his mother so he moves into his brother's town house and Marah just so happens to be staying with them for the season as well. Immediately the attraction that flared between them is back and Caleb cannot resist baiting Marah, trying to get her ire up so that he can prove he still affects her, even while she insists she wants nothing to do with him.

Marah has her own family difficulties as her father had married below him socially and was cut off from his family. When her mother died in childbirth her father dumped her with her maternal grandmother and the entire, very high ranking family, had turned their backs on her. She wants stability in her life and has settled on an ambitious business man who can offer her security and not the passion that troubles her so with Caleb. Caleb is furious at the idea of Marah with someone else, but knows that he has given up any right to her favors, even while trying to get to her at every available opportunity. Family comes first when Caleb's father takes a turn for the worse and it is once again Marah who is there for him in his time of need and once again Caleb mucks things up. Despite his mistakes they support each other through difficult times involving their undiscovered families and Caleb realizes he will need to prove to Marah that love is worth risking things for. Marah must decide if love is more important than the security she has cherished for so many years.

Marah was defined by her relationships with her family members and it really showed in how she acted toward Caleb. She so obviously cared for him but his abandonment of her really scared her and it took a lot for her to recover. I did not enjoy how forceful she was in insisting she didn't want anything to do with him when we knew she was in love with him. It made her seems childish and like she could not be taken seriously. Caleb was just as immature with his inability to confront difficult situations: I understood that it was hard, but hiding in a bottle for 2 years was not justified. It also made it hard for me to root for him and Marah to get together. Their relationship fell back on the banter/ argue that I absolutely loath in romance novels. I want to see the characters getting along, working together, and arguing to some extent because it happens, but I felt like their relationship was based on her trying to get her mad at him just so that she would show some emotion and he could prove that she still had feelings for him. The sex was rather boring and there wasn't a lot of it and it was all packed at, or very near, the end.

I was incredibly frustrated by the blatant way that everyone was throwing these two together; it was obnoxious and showed a lack of respect for Marah's feelings in my opinion. She had a very justifiable reason for not wanting to get close to him and Victoria's actions made her seem like not a very good friend. My favorite parts of the book where when Caleb was dealing with the issue of his own paternity and when Marah was dealing with her fears about her father's family. It was very real and touching and there were definitely times when I cried; the heart to heart Caleb has with his mother was almost heart breaking. It was the most emotional either of them ever got and I wish they had showed the same amount of heart and fear and caring when dealing with each other- it would have made for a better romance. Something that really bothered me was the assumption that we had read the previous book in the series (which I had, but promptly forgotten) because it talks about their past together and I was completely at a loss.

Rating: In the end I couldn't give an unappealing romance a high mark, even though I did really enjoy reading the non romantic emotional moments.

Seducing the Governess

Seducing the Governess by Margo Maguire 805

Mercy Franklin is left alone and confused when both of her parents die and reveal to her that she was not their natural child, but had been brought to them when she was 3 years old. Unfortunately she is also almost penniless so she is left with no choice but to apply for a position and the only offer she gets is as a governess to an orphaned child being raised by her uncle. Nash Ferris was the youngest of three sons and never expected to become Earl of Ashby, but when both of his brother's die he inherits the Earldom and his niece, Emmaline. Nash was a career military man who is still haunted by what he witnessed in battle and those who died, and he has provided a safe haven, a place of employment, for the men who had been under his command. Although he is bankrupt and cannot afford to pay his employees, he knows it is imperative he hire a governess for Emmy, who is withdrawn and shows fear when she looks at Nash's scared face. Nash knows he has to marry a rich heiress soon in order to keep his estate afloat, he only hopes he can find one who will not be horrified by his scars.

Mercy is immediately attracted to the handsome Earl; he exudes passion and masculinity and she fears it is her base nature, the nature her preacher father tried to subdue, that is coming out. And Nash cannot deny that his new governess is beautiful, he wants her but would never want to take advantage of someone who works for him. With Mercy's help Emmy comes out of her shell and Mercy also sees that Nash is working so hard to try to help his estate and do something good for the soldiers who come home to no jobs. Nash is also trying to figure out what happened to his brothers because their deaths, so close together, are suspicious, but he is also trying to woo the daughter of a rich merchant in town. Mercy and Nash are explosive whenever they are together and no matter how hard they try to avoid each other, it becomes impossible. Mercy does not think someone of Nash's status would ever choose someone like her, but the more Nash thinks on it the more he realizes he wants someone who will love him, someone he loves in return, and Mercy is just that person.

Mercy's situation in life was certainly new and I did enjoy reading about the emotional upheaval that accompanied it and how she dealt with it. I understand it was confusing for her but at times she definitely came across as naive, not so intelligent, and like an ostrich trying to hide its' head in the sand. Her attraction to Nash seemed to be the only thing that really gave her definition and I would have liked a more in depth, not so one-dimensional, exploration of her character. Nash is a likable guy because of what he had been through and how he was working to help those who had helped him. I admired him for that and because he admitted he required a rich wife and set about going after what he needed. I felt like they did not spend a lot of time together and nearly every time they did, both of them were worried about what they were doing and trying to avoid giving in to their desires. I wanted more fun time together, just the two of them. The sex was completely relegated to the end and was really not that hot and I expected more from two characters who were so attracted to each other.

The plot involving the death of his brother was underdone in my opinion, and it is not often that I feel like a secondary plot in a romance novel did not take up enough space. For the first 80% of the book it's only an occasional thought in his hand, like an afterthought, and then it goes away only to appear as another thought. Stuff did not really start happening until near the very end and it ended up being so exciting and convoluted (in a good surprising way) that I really wish there had been more of it. I did not mention this in my write-up because it was hard to fit in but throughout the book the Duke of Windermere is looking for his lost granddaughters (that is a story in itself) in order to give them money and I figured out from the beginning that Mercy was going to be one of those granddaughters. It was surprisingly a really good little plot, only a few pages every few chapters but I felt like I got to know the detective personally and really got involved in his search even though I knew how it would end. It was also a nice way of making sure that they ended up with the money they needed- of course!

Rating: My first Margo Maguire was slow to get started and had some literary problems that bothered me, as well as two characters I wanted to slap more than occasionally.

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran 813

Nell Whitby is willing to do anything to save her mother; as a factory girl working with cigars she does not make enough money to pay for a doctor and on her mother's death bed she makes the odd confession that the Earl of Rushden is Nell's father. When her mother dies she breaks into Rushden's house, determined to kill him for not helping her mother, but the man she runs into is far too young to be her father and far too attractive. Simon St. Mauer recently inherited the Earldom from the man who raised him, the man who never liked him and treated him like Simon didn't belong. When he sees Nell he immediately realizes that she is the missing daughter of the last Earl who was kidnapped by the maid because she looks exactly like her twin sister, Kitty. He decides that the best thing for both of them is to transform Nell into a proper lady and marry her so that he can inherit the money that the last Earl left to her. Despite his title Simon is nearly penniless and this is a desperate ploy that could benefit them both if he can convince the lawyer who is in charge of their trust; a lawyer who does not like Simon.

Simon hires tutors to help turn Nell into the society miss that everyone expects her to be and to make it easier for the courts to accept her. Nell does not like what is happening and feels like Simon is pushing the street out of her and like he is ashamed or embarrassed of who she is. However, she knows it is what she needs to do in order to get her inheritance which she plans to spend making life better for people who grew up like her. No matter how much she changes Simon still sees the underlying strength and determination of the woman who survived London's most dangerous environment and even though he knows he could seek an annulment if the courts decide she is not really the old Lord Rushden's daughter, he does not want to lose her. While she was determined not to fall in love with Simon or to feel too comfortable with this life, Nell does find herself needing Simon and she is heartbroken when she finds out he always had a backup plan. But there are people out there who don't want Nell or Simon to get that money and they both must admit they love each other to work through their differences and find their happily ever after.

I immediately liked both Simon and Nell because they were genuine and smart and determined and they were both survivors who took the hard punches and made the best of them and were unapologetic in what they did and what they accomplished. Nell was perfect as the woman who grew up on the streets because she so obviously wanted a change but was desperate to be happy with what she had and didn't want to be disappointed. It was what made her reactions to Simon's declarations later in the book and her decisions so in character and so meaningful. I also love that she recognized what truly needed to be done for the poor in London and her experience made her altruism so much more genuine than the do-gooder rich women who populate romance novels. Simon was also great because he had the troubled past the the hero has to have, and it was especially important in him because if he had had a perfect childhood he wouldn't have meshed well with Nell, and this past was what made him into the charming man who was able to navigate the waters of the ton and work hard to ease Nell's introduction into society.

The key to this book is that Duran made two characters who were completely different and have so little in common and yet they work so well together, they make each other happy, and they make each other better. There were a couple of really wrenching scenes between them about love and life and they were just beautiful. There was a decent amount of sex between them and much of it was very hot and I liked that it really worked as an emotional outlet for both of them. The first part of the book was slow, the part that was working up to Simon and Nell meeting and deciding what to do, but once they realized who Nell was the book was engrossing and hard to put down. The lawyer was the absolute perfect villain because he showed up to make things more exciting and the threat that he represented, to have Nell be declared illegitimate and thus take all her money, created the tension in the plot making it very important and yet not detracting from the romance between the characters. I also enjoyed the miniature plot between Kitty and Nell as sister's just getting to know each other.

Rating: A very great read with two wonderful characters who enjoyed a very emotional relationship that required a lot of development and trust on both their parts.