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.

Lord of Temptation

Lord of Temptation by Lorraine Heath R

Lord Tristan Pembroke escapes the clutches of his uncle, who is determined to kill him and his brothers so he can claim the Dukedom, and while his brothers go separate ways, Tristan heads out to sea. Over the next decade he makes a learns the ocean and gains his own ship, going by the name Crimson Jack, and even when he goes back to London and enters society he does not feel like he is a part of that world. Lady Anne Hayworth is determined to make her way to her fiance's grave so that she can make peace with her fiance Walter who was killed in battle. Her father and four brothers do not agree with her plans so she is forced to find her own means of transportation and when she asks Captain Jack he decides to ensure that Anne has no choice but to choose his ship. When every other captain ha been bribed to turn her down, Anne comes back to Jack, who demands a kiss in return for passage. He wants the beautiful young woman, even while knowing they come from different worlds and have no future, and will do everything he can to seduce the beautiful young woman. During the journey, both of them discover much about the other, and Jack is the one to hold her while she cries at her dead fiance's grave.

On their last night together Anne decides to claim a bit of happiness for herself and gives into the passion she feels for Jack. Back in London, Anne finds herself swept up into the whirlwind of a London season, and with her family pressuring her to get married, she is being courted by her dead fiance's brother. Jack finds that he cannot bring himself to leave Anne and return to the sea, and he certainly cannot stand to see Anne courted by another man. The two engage in a secret affair, behind everyone's backs, but Anne knows that Jack is not one to settle down with a family and while she will never have the same passion with Lord Chetwyn, he offers her comfort and stability. The two promise that they will stay away from each other and Anne agrees to marry  but she cannot stay away from Jack and he is trying to use all of his powers of persuasion to convince her that Chetwyn is not for her. But both of them realize that life without the other isn't an option and both of them are willing to make changes to their expectations before discovering that as long as they are together, nothing is really a sacrifice as long as they can have a happily ever after.

This book continued the Lost Lords of Pembrook series admirably and had the same feel as the last one with the tortured hero and a very likable heroine. I really liked Anne because she was determined and capable without coming across as headstrong or naive. She knew what was expected of her from her family and she accepted it but still went about fulfilling her obligations in a way that did not seem like she was 'giving in' and still remained true to herself. Jack was incredibly tortured and dark, not fitting in to either world he straddled and unable to find a place where he belonged. I understood his dilemma, but still felt  unimpressed with his feelings and his inability to make nice, as if he was purposely setting out to be difficult. I quickly became bored by reading about his horrible life and how he straddled two worlds, partly because it was so similar to what I read in the previous book in the series about his old twin brother. I did like that we had a lot of character development from him throughout the book as he fell in love with Anne and made some changes in his life in order to have her in his life. He was a fun and lively hero who changed for the better with the help of a good woman, and I liked that.

There were a lot of interactions between Anne and Jack and I could really feel how these fell in love and every scene between them built into the story. There were fun and happy scenes where he attempted to seduce her, there were heart wrenching scenes where he comforted at her fiance's grave, and there were passionate scenes. There was a really deep emotional relationship between them and Heath did an oustanding job portraying this. There was a lot of sex between them and it was fairly hot, spread throughout the book, and really contributed to their developing relationship. I did have an issue with how many times Anne promised herself she would stay away from Jack, after realizing that they had no future together, and then reneged on her vow. It made her seem weak and it happened so many times that it quickly got tiresome. I also enjoyed how Heath did not make Chetwyn a villain, or anyone a villain for that matter, because it really was just a story of two people finding love and working through their differences to find happiness together. As usual, Heath's style is fun and fast while still delving into tough emotional issues.

Rating: A very enjoyable book, with a very strong relationship between the characters, but I had some issues with the heroes emotional trauma.

She Tempts the Duke

She Tempts the Duke by Lorraine Heath

When the Duke of Keswick dies, his brother, Robert, imprisons his 3 young sons in the dungeon, ostensibly for their protection, but young Sebastian, Tristan, and Rafe know that there is something fishy going on. When their friend, Mary Wynn-Jones, overhears Uncle David talking about murder she frees the boys and they disappear into the forest leaving whispers and a haunting mystery that takes the ton by storm. Sebastian vows that one day he would return and claim his birthright with the help of his brothers. Sebastian joins the army and works his way up to become a way hero, even if he is scarred on one side of his face, while his twin Tristan becomes a naval captain and the youngest, Rafe, becomes a prominent figure in the London underground, running a prosperous gambling hall and brothel. Uncle Robert is horrified when the 3 return to claim their birthright, but Mary is overjoyed to find that her three childhood friends are alright after years with no word from them. Mary is now engaged to Lord Fitzwilliam but that doesn't stop her from sticking up for Sebastian when the ton turn on him.

She is determined to stick by Sebastian's side no matter what everyone says about him and even when it becomes obvious that someone is after Sebastian's life. Her fiance is not pleased by her actions and her own family discourages her because they want to see her married off but she will not back down. One night when Sebastian is attacked and wounded she moves into his family house and her reputation is at risk when her fiance politely calls of the wedding. Sebastian knows it is up to his family to make things right but he worries that he is not good enough for her with his scares, his dark past, and the fact that someone out there is trying to kill him. None of that matters to Mary as all the feelings she had for Sebastian when they were younger come to the surface and she realizes that her childhood crush has become so much more. Their marriage brings hope to both of them even while they know they must find Sebastian's uncle and determine if he is the man who is behind the attacks. Together they will overcome their fears about themselves and find a life together.

I was intrigued by the idea of childhood sweethearts who reconnect later in life after going through a bunch of ups and downs. In that regard this book did not disappoint at all as I felt like there was a really strong connection between Sebastian and Mary that was kindled when they were teenagers and blazed when they became adults. The years of separation really served to nurture their feelings and it was clear that it was always lurking just below the surface and there was a specific moment when Sebastian realized that it was a connection to Mary that had kept him going through all those years, that made their relationship so satisfying to read about. I cannot put my figure precisely on how Heath pulled it off because it was so subtly done, but I really felt like these two belonged together and that they truly had been destined to be together which I don't normally feel. As with most Heath books there was some sex, it was romantically written and meshed well with the story and the development of the relationship but it was not super sexy or hot.

Heath sets herself apart as an author because she took Mary, a character with do-gooder and other assorted traits that would normally drive me nuts, and turned me into a woman I really admired and was motivated to "root" for. She stuck by Sebastian through everything, including some situations that she knew would lead to her being ruined, and helped him when needed, supported him, and loved him. Sebastian was a little too tortured for me and while I felt like his feelings were justified because of his life, I just never really go for people who's angst and worry and torment borders on self-pity, especially when it is such an important part of his character. Sebastian's obsession with regaining hi ancestral home alienated Mary and I enjoyed the angst and turmoil that sprang from that desire interfering with his relationship with Mary. I was glad it didn't become the focal point of the book and that the hunt for finding Lord David and bringing him to justice was an important part of the book but did not take over the book.

Rating: Heath shows herself to be a very skilled writer with a romance I could not resist and a heroine I loved, but a hero was just a little too pained for me.

Waking up with the Duke

Waking up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath 715

Lady Jayne Seymour, Marchioness of Walfort, has resigned herself to her life; passionless and without children. Her husband, the Marquess of Walfort, was paralized in a riding accident while out carousing with his best friend Ransom Seymour, the Duke of Ainsley, and Jayne has held Ainsley responsible ever since. But three years after the accident Walfort decided that his wife deserved children and his plan is for Ainsley to get Jayne pregnant. He knows that Jayne does not like Ainsley so he is not worried about feelings developing and he trusts both of them implicitly. Jayne finds the idea ridiculous and is hurt that Walfort would suggest it, while Ainsley is intrigued by the idea because he has always admired Jayne, but knows that Jayne would never agree. With Walfort's encouragement Ainsley sets out to charm Jayne and while she knows she is being charmed, after a kiss that awakens all the passion she had sought to repress, she agrees to the arrangement with some rules of her own. But it quickly becomes apparent that rules have no place during their month long sojourn at Ainsley's country cottage.

Jayne finds that there is so much more to Ainsley than she had previously thought- he proves that he cares about her feelings and he is understanding about the difficult situation she finds herself in. He reintroduces her to the joys of life; looking at stars, climbing trees, going for long walks, and introduces her to sensual delights she never dreamed possible; sex in daylight, spending the day in bed, and love making beyond her wildest dreams. And the feelings Ainsley had for Jayne before their month together grow in proportion to how much he comes to know her and how loyal, caring, and beautiful she is. Neither wants to admit how much the month has meant to them and they both know that their eventual parting will be much more difficult than they imagined. But they must indeed part and go back to their lives, even if they will never be the same again. Both go on with their lives, but they cannot forget what happened there and even their family members recognize that something has changed. There is a lot that stands between them and happiness; lies, loyalty, friendship and husbands but happily ever after is possible.

Jayne was a perfectly well developed character with real faults and real emotions and I just could not believe how much I fell in love with her. Ainsley had his problems as well that created real emotional turmoil within him and, and his treatment of Jayne and Walfort made it hard not to fall in love with him myself. Jayne was so great as the dedicated wife who was not being satisfied because she was so obviously trying her hardest, and succeeding, but she so needed to find someone like Ainsley. And Ainsley really was as perfect as I stated above because he treated Jayne like a princess and was so amazingly conscious of what she was going through and did so much to put her at ease and make sure she had a great time, both sexually and emotionally. Ainsley had apparently been in love with Jayne to some extent before the story began, but it was still so clear why these two fell in love and why they were so perfect together. There was plenty of sex between them and while it was not hot, I truly felt like it was incredibly emotional and really aided in the development in their relationship.

I was skeptical when I first heard about the impetuous for getting Jayne and Ainsley together, but I was quickly won over because it was not done in a sordid or voyeuristic manner. The reasons were explained very well, and I appreciated getting the point of view from all of the characters who were involved in this decision. No one entered this situation lightly and I admired that they all recognized that there were bound to be consequences that they hadn't expected and tried to live with them when everything had ended. Perhaps the only thread in this tapestry that was left untied was Walfort's actions on the night when his accident occurred and the secrets he has been keeping since. Jayne's quickness to forgive and her actions after the truth is revealed made her a little to saintlike for me and while it was supposed to make her seem noble, I was frustrated because I wanted her to yell and get angry like I was. I also felt like it was an attempt to justify Jayne's actions, thereby implying that they might have been wrong. I also really liked the side romance between Ainsley's mother and her long-time young lover- so fun!

Rating: This book really almost struck me as perfect, but the truth about Walfort did make me angry. Overall this book had amazing characters and plot and was just beautiful really.

Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman

Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath 1212

Mercy Dawson arrives at the Duke of Ainsley's residence to tell the Duke and his family that Stephen Lyons, the Duke's brother, had had a child before he passed away. She is already in love with the baby boy and she tells them she is his mother so that they will keep her on as a nanny. She is shocked to discover that Stephen's death was a misprint and worries that he will reveal that there is no way she can be the baby's mother because their relationship never progressed to sexual intimacy. Stephen does not remember Mercy, in fact he does not remember anything that happened during his two years fighting in the Crimea, but he does not want to insult Mercy by telling her he does not remember her, so he claims the baby as his. His family immediately accept Mercy as one of them and it is not long before his mother is hinting that he should marry Mercy.

Stephen has always been a ladies man and has quite the reputation, but he has never contemplated marriage. Seeing Mercy with John, knowing how caring she was as a nurse serving in the war and hoping that she can make him remember what he can't and that she can make his life better, he decides that marriage to Mercy could be wonderful. She has always been in love with him, jealous of all the other women he showered attention on, and she agrees to marry him and can only hope that he will never discover the truth about John's birth. For a few months both are blissfully happy, even while Mercy is hoping that Stephen's attempts to remember what happened will come to nothing. But when they make an appearance in the ton Mercy is confronted by John's birth money who threatens to ruin their happiness. Mercy knows she must hide the truth from Stephen, but it cannot be hidden for long and Stephen feels betrayed and kicks Mercy out of the house and out of John's life. However, he cannot deny that they both made mistakes and that he needs Mercy in his life.

The first thing I noticed in this book was how very much Mercy idolized Stephen and how her feelings for this seemed to be set and unmoving even before the book started. She loved him enough to risk being ostracized, rejecting by her family, and ending up alone all because she was in love with him enough to take in his son. I don't criticize her taking John in, it was written as the only reason she was involved with him was because he was Stephen's son and a connection to Stephen that she so desperately wanted. Aside from her unbelievable feelings for Stephen, Mercy was a great character and her independence and confidence, she did go all the way to Crimea and serve as a nurse in a time of war, made her unwavering faith in Stephen all the more confusing. In everything else in her life she was strong and reasonable. Stephen was a great side character in the previous book, but I did not feel as though he really pulled off being a hero in his own right. He had his memory loss and he had his actions in the war, of course he's a great hero who put his men's needs above his own, but as a hero he didn't do it for me.

I cannot really put my finger on what it was about him that just feel flat with me, but I can say that I enjoyed the scenes where he was with John and learning how to be a father. Toward the middle, when he and Mercy were doing well, he was fun and interesting to read about and I liked reading about them getting along as their happiness made getting over the tragedy of finding out the truth more realistic. Him kicking her out when the truth was revealed was heartbreaking and cruel on his part, but I like that she was not able to wallow in misery for long and that people were rooting for her all along. There was some decent, but not really that hot sex between them that I almost skimmed over really. I like secret baby plots and the twist of having Mercy not be the mother added a great element to the story. I especially like the way it was accepted by everyone that Mercy was John's mother even though she did not give birth to him.

Rating: The book was decent and there were definitely elements I enjoyed. I wouldn't recommend it, but I'm giving it three because I didn't necessarily dislike it. A low 3.

Passions of a Wicked Earl

Passions of a Wicked Early by Lorraine Heath 1104

On her wedding night Claire Lyons was scared of what would occur between her and her new husband, Morgan the Earl of Westcliffe, and accepted her friend Stephen's, Westcliffe's younger brother, to help. To postpone the wedding night Stephen crawls into bed with Claire but nothing goes as planned as Westcliffe is furious and takes Claire to his family estate and leaves her there for three years. Claire is lonely but tries to make the best of things but she regrets her foolish actions and wants to make a life with her husband even though the stories about her husband's sexual escapades haunt her. When her father threatens to marry her younger sister off to an old lecher she goes to London both to fix her marriage and to provide Beth with the choice that she never had. Westcliffe has tried for years to get Claire out of his mind but he has been very unsuccessful so when she shows up at his door he knows things will get complicated.

He comes to understand that Claire had been young and naive and scared on her wedding and while he cannot forgive her he can see from her point of view. Suddenly his house has the laughter and homey feeling that he had expected when he first married her and he relishes the changes she is making in his life. But he is not sure he can forgive her and has made plans to marry another woman after obtaining a divorce at the end of the season. He is determined that he will not touch her but with Claire's innocent seduction and the light she brings to his life it is not long before their relationship progresses. But Anne is not happy to have lost Westcliffe and makes it clear that she does not accept his now happy marriage. Just when things seem perfect for Westcliffe and Claire, Stephen returns and throws a wrench in things and Westcliffe will have to trust that his and Claire's love can see them through everything.

Claire was an amazing heroine as she had the light and laughter that they need to have but she was also flawed and she recognized this and could reflect on how to make herself better. She wanted her marriage to work and she actively went after it and made the most and the best out of a bad situation. And man Westcliffe was simply superb and a very strong leading man. He had the demons in his past with his mother not loving him and feeling insecure, but he was so obviously just in need of a lot of love from a great woman. Their is plenty of sex between them and some nice lead up to and while it is fairly hot it wasn't exactly spectacular. Her sister Beth was a great comparison for how young Claire had been on her wedding and how she could have made those mistakes and I can't wait to see if she matures in later books. His family members also played a very big role and will continue to do so in upcoming novels.

I am a sucker for romances where there's such a big rift and the whiff of betrayal because it just leads to some wonderfully emotional scenes that I absolutely love. This book had that in abundance as Westcliffe worked to forgive Claire for her supposed betrayal and came to understand that he played a part in what happened and really both of them were to blame. I really loved reading about his coming to understand this and him finding all the things that were missing in life, laughter and happiness and acceptance, in Claire. However there were also betrayal issues on Westcliffe's part, such as him philandering all over the place and then the threat of divorce, and I felt like this was not dealt with adequately at all. I do not want to give spoilers but this book really called for him to make a VERY big grand gesture, and while he

made a gesture, I definitely felt like it was far from enough and the end just came too abruptly.

Rating: A great love story of two people working together to restore a love that was almost lost, but I felt like it needed more of a big ending to make it all right.

Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel

Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath

Midnight Pleasures is an addition to Heath's series about Feagan's gang of child thieves and tells the story of James Swindler, the youngest of the bunch. Eleanor Watkins goes to London after her sister Elisabeth commits suicide. Eleanor reads her journal and discovers that she had been led down quite the scandalous path by Lord Rockberry and Eleanor is determined to get revenge against the man who corrupted her sister. Rockberry at first thinks he is being followed by a ghost but then goes to Scotland Yard where he enlists the help of their best man, James Swindler, to follow the young woman. Eleanor knows she is being followed and she is not quite sure how to deal with this new development before James rescues her from three men set on nefarious deeds. That first night that James escorts her home he is eager to drop her off and get on with his life but when he sees her the next day outside her rented room something is different. Suddenly she smells better, she talks to him, she is interested in him, and James can not help but want to spend more time with this young lady and he takes her to gardens, on a balloon ride, to see fireworks, and sightseeing around London.

It is not long before James realizes that this is more than just a job to him and he enlists the help of his powerful friends to give Eleanor one happy night at a ball. The night turns out magical and Eleanor knows that she wants the night to be even more special so she accompanies James back to his rooms where everything is as perfect as they both imagined. Unfortunately during this romantic interlude Rockberry is killed and his brother says he saw Eleanor at the house leaving her as the only suspect. James is quick to speak out as Eleanor's alibi for the evening and he knows and is prepared to accept the consequences, in fact he's not at all upset to marry her. But before questioning can really begin Eleanor disappears and when James finally manages to track her down, with lots of help from his highly placed friends, he discovers that Eleanor has been keeping quite the secret from him. Now it is up to James, and those highly placed friends of his, to see to it that the woman he loves, the woman who makes him happy and whom he knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with, does not ended up rotting away in jail... or worse.

Heath is definitely trying to inject a darker quality to this book than to her other books in the series. They all have had some gloom and doom elements as they were former thieves who had lived a hard life on the streets, but it was taken to a new level here. From the opening I was left with the immediate impression that this was going to be more of a mystery than a romance. Although the novel did turn out that way I actually kind of liked it and the mystery and the romance were blended very well. This was a murder mystery (maybe two really) that I really enjoyed and it had that added benefit of a nicely written romance thrown in. Heath did an amazing job at this mystery and I there were some really surprising twists and turns thrown in that I did not disclose in my summary as they really made the book as good as it was. There were extra surprises and people who turned out to be far more complex than I had originally thought and the book itself really played out so nicely. I can also say there was a nice little side romance at the end there which was nice as I was a little worried about that character (although I can't say who without giving anything away).

This book was book-ended by two amazingly well written novels and that really did not work out well for this novel as for some reason I have just never really thought of Heath's writing as particular good really. It's fast, really very fast, and fun for sure, but it really is just not as intriguing and detailed and beautiful as both Kleypas or London. There was quite a bit of love making in this novel which was good as the rest of it did tend to get a bit dark, but it was honestly rather boring and I actually ended up spacing out for some of it oddly enough. This ended up being a problem for sure as I really felt as though the romance and buildup of their relationship was sorely lacking here. It just happened wham bam I'm "drawn" to her ma'am. As part of a series this book features quite a few reunions of the other members of Feagan's gang and it definitely started to get more than a little irritating. I found it especially odd that James had had this great love for Frannie darling and yet one day spent with Eleanor was enough to cure him of this decade long infatuation.

Rating: This book was very good as far as mystery and adventures went but really could have used some work on the romantic elements.

Surrender to the Devil

Surrender to the Devil by Lorraine Heath

The third book in Heath's "Devil" series featuring the lovable reformed thieves of Feagan's gang of children features Frannie Darling, the only girl of the bunch and Sterling Mabry, the Duke of Greystone, the brother of Catherine who married Luke, the Earl of Claybourne in "In Bed with the Devil." The two meet at a party and have a damnable time keeping their eyes off each other until finally Sterling proposes the two become lovers. Luke, Jack, and Jim (the members of Feagan's gang) are instantly protective and try to warn off Sterling, but ultimately the decision is Frannie's. Frannie is opening an orphanage for the boys of the street and Sterling decides that a great way to get into her good graces is to help her out; monetarily and by not calling the constable when he is first pickpocketed by one of her orphans and then later after his house is burglarized. Frannie can't help but admire the changes that Sterling is undergoing as he begins to care for people other than himself.

As Frannie and Sterling grow closer neither wants to admit that their future is already pre-determined as they both know that a Duke cannot marry a commoner, especially one who has lived on the streets as a thief. Nevertheless the two cannot bring themselves to call an end to the relationship and they both start to realize they are falling in love with the other. Frannie loves the way that Sterling desires her, understands her, and treats as a woman while Sterling loves Frannie's unselfishness and strength. Unfortunately not everyone is as excited about Frannie's orphanage as she and Sterling are and Bill Sykes, who operates his own gang of child thieves in the rookeries and whose children are very much in need of rescuing. He makes it clear to Frannie that if she doesn't stop her good works he is more than willing to take matters into his own hands. After all is said and done Sterling decides to end their relationship for Frannie's sake as he does not want to saddle her with a man who is going blind, but when they meet up again at a fundraiser for the orphanage both know that they can't end their relationship that easily.

Both the prologue and epilogue of the novel consist of a journal entry Frannie has written. Both are completely undisguised information dumbs and I was disappointed with the prologue as I didn't think that it was necessary. Heath has always done a great job of skillfully weaving any necessary backstory, as well as incorporating the happily ever afters of previous couples, into her novels. And indeed she did in this novel which makes it even more odd that their was a prologue as it seemed entirely unnecessary. Sterling is "haunted" to an unbelievably great extent, because of a disagreement with his father over his failing eyesight. While going blind was certainly a new thing for a romance novel and would undoubtedly be an awful experience it just seemed a little off that a family was torn apart and he was determined never to marry because of it. I will also say that I absolutely adore the cover. All the books in the series have similar covers with different colors (pink and white) and this one is purple which is my favorite color.

Heath did an amazing job of dealing with Frannie's past as a young rape victim. Granted the way she dealt with Frannie's fear, having had her watch Jim with a prostitute through a peephole as the "made love," was a little unorthodox but I like how Frannie has evolved from a victim to a woman who realizes that passion isn't limited to what had happened to her. Heath is not the steamiest of authors although she always does a great job of building up tension between her characters. The scenario behind their love isn't all that unusual; man becomes a better person as he begins to fall in love with a woman and thus she begins to fall in love with him. I had a problem with "Between..." because of the unequal power dynamic between the characters, but that is not a problem at all in this book, despite Sterling's title. Frannie is confident, loving, and giving from the very beginning and it is Sterling who changes in completely believable ways, which makes the growing romance between the two realistic and incredibly fun to read about.

Rating: I really enjoyed this book. It was very pleasant and certainly went by fast. While I don't critically think it deserves four hearts I enjoyed it so much I can't give it anything less.

Between the Devil and Desire

Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath

Between the Devil and Desire is part of "Devil" series telling the tales of Feagan's gang of thieving children, although we are not hit over the head with the happy stories of previous couples (quite an achievement IMO). This is the story of their leader, and Feagan's favorite, Jack Dodger, the debauched owner of a gambling den/ brothel, and Olivia, the newly widowed former Duchess of Lovingdon who had been sadly neglected by her much older husband. The two meet when the Duke's will is read and to everyone's surprise Jack is awarded all of the non-entailed property, including the house Olivia is living in, and guardianship of Olivia's son Henry. Needless to say the two do not get along as Olivia is convinced that everything Jack does is disreputable and Jack takes great delight in needling her- mainly by taking from her all the things she had assumed would be hers but were left to him instead.

The two are crazy attracted to each other. Which bothers both of them; Jack because he does not want to be attracted to a woman who would expect more from him than money. and Olivia because Jack is not the quality of person she is supposed to be consorting with and because she is a stickler for what is proper. The love begins to grow as Olivia realizes that her preconceptions about Jack are mostly false and as Jack showers affection on Henry, but the "good to children" plot is well written and doesn't seem as though it's just there to make the character seem likable (as is the case in many romance novels). Questions arise over why Jack's mother abandoned him when he was a child and why Lovingdon chose a man he barely knew to inherit his estate and watch over his widow and the "investigation" is conducted so as not to overpower the romance in the book.

It is hard to think of parts of this book I didn't like- it was one of those romance novels that is just a little bland all around; nothing that one particularly hates and nothing that one finds particularly memorable. The hero and heroine had quite a bit of dialogue going on, but for the first hundred pages or so most of it tended toward the needling and irritating sort. Some people like this "bantering" but there's a limit to how far it should extend and I never really understood how a relationship could be based on constantly trying to get someone's ire up. The most angering part of this book was the historical context the book was set in; as a widow Olivia is at the complete mercy of her husband's will and when he turns control of her son (and thus all of the son's inherited estates) and everything else he owned Olivia is forced to confront her own powerlessness and Jack exploits this, although the author is careful not to have him be too mean at least. However, the ending discover, while interesting and somewhat shocking, kind of makes one a little squicky (it would definitely be a spoiler).

The best part of the book was the character Jack Dodger, although to be honest I almost found him more interesting in past books in the series than in this one. His past is certainly interesting and discovering what had happened to him when he was younger certainly explained some of his behaviors and made him a more nuanced character. Olivia was a little blander but the book delved deeply enough into her past to make her into a complex and likable character. And of course I liked the miniature investigations that were a necessary and important part of both characters' life experiences that didn't take over the book. Normally I would complain about no sex until about 2/3 through the book, but there was enough build up and enough continuation of it throughout the book that it wasn't a disappointment. Reviewers on amazon have commented that the book goes better as it goes on, which is definitely true as that is when the protagonists start realizing they like each other and the book becomes very character driven. And last but not least the five-year old boy was not a precocious romance novel child, but a real five-year old coping with the loss of his father, an overprotective mother, and an intriguing new gentleman in his life.

Rating: The book was sweet, well written and easily digestible but not something I'm going to find myself thinking about in the future or referring back to.