The Duke's Captive

The Duke's Captive by Adele Ashworth 830

Five years ago Ian Wentworth was held captive in a dungeon for five long weeks by three sisters and while two of them saw justice, another one escaped and he has waited all this time for revenge. Viola Bennington Jones, the widowed Lady Cheshire, has tried to distance herself from her past and from the man she fell in love with years ago and tried to help. She married well, had a son and made a name for herself painting portraits, even though in secret she paints erotic sketches under a pseudonym. When Ian strolls back into her life she is terrified he will reveal who she is but she also can't help but try to find the man she loved so long ago beneath the angry facade. He wants the truth from her and wants to humiliate her in front of the other peers and while he sets out to do this he begins to think he may be going about this all wrong and doubts his own beliefs that Viola is deserving of this harsh plan.

Things become even more complicated when he discovers that her son is actually his and he becomes even more obsessed with getting her to tell him what exactly happened in the dungeon. She does not want to admit to anything as she is scared of what could happen to her son and because she is worried about admitting to feelings for a man who has already admitted that he wants nothing from her but revenge. In a fit of desperation he kidnaps her and takes him to his fishing cottage where he intends to recreate what happened to him but things go awry when his feelings for her come to the surface and they end up making love. The next morning he is forced to run off to see his sister but he intends to make everything better. He has no choice but to confront his feelings when he believes she is going to marry another, and he has to decide if he can forgive her for her actions years ago in order to make a future.

Ian was not exactly completely well rounded in the beginning of the book but as the story progressed he showed himself to be a more nuanced character as he sorted through his feelings for Viola. He went through some tremendous changes throughout the book, but they really did not come fast enough. So much of this book was spent with him being angry at her and he was obsessed with learning "the truth" about what happened to him in the dungeon and it got irritating. It was just as irritating that Viola was so adamant about not telling him the truth and while she did have a reason it's not fun when the big obstacle to the protagonists happiness could be so easily solved. Viola was equally as unexceptional as Ian except I found her erotic paintings to be quite entertaining and wish there had been more of them mentioned in the

book.

Their relationship really seemed to be about making the other upset and humiliating them and the sex between them had this rather angry aspect to it where they both seemed to not want to be happy. I also really wish that more time had been spent with Ian and his son getting to know each other as when there is a secret baby I think it should play a more important role in the story. At first I thought that the book just referred to a lot of things that happened before the book started, but it quickly become obvious that there was a previous book featuring Ian's sister that really went in to depth about his kidnapping and why and how it happened. Almost no real information about what happened is given until the last 20 pages when a big diamond plot was revealed and I did not really appreciate being kept in the dark for so long or feeling as though I should have read another book before this one. As with her last novel I admire Ashworth's way with words and how her novels flow so really well and read very fast.

Rating: While I did somewhat enjoy reading this book, partly because I finished it so soon, there was just too much crazy obsession with pushing each other away.

Rules of an Engagement

Rules of an Engagement by Suzanne Enoch 1103

Captain Bradshaw Carroway has always liked sea travel in being in charge of his own naval ship but with the war over things have slowed down and there aren't as many pirates to hunt. Spending time with his family makes him think there may be something in life that he's missing and that settling down may not be so bad. The Duke of Sommerset invites him to join the Adventurers Club and then enlists him to deliver a mirror to a man he met while in Tahiti. Bradshaw starts the mission but does not get far before the truth behind his excursion is made clear. He is to escort renowned botanist Joseph Ponsey and his daughter Zephyr as they go about collecting flora and fauna specimens for the Royal Society. Zephyr is not impressed with the Captain as he immediately comes across as a rogue who wants nothing more but to engage in big sea battles with no interest in reading or science.

They both get under each other's skin and although she drives him insane Shaw wants Zephyr and Zephyr admires Shaw's ability to circumvent fights rather than start them. Traveling gives them plenty of opportunities to observe how the other handles difficult situations and how caring and dedicated they each are. They get to explore several islands including one where Shaw manages to maneuver them out of a precarious situation and saves their lives. The expedition also gives Zephyr time to rethink her own path in life and she wonders if she really wants to spend the rest of her life as her father's assistant traveling around the world. A stop at the friendly island of the Tahiti with a French war ship in the next harbor forces them both to look at what they want and make some momentous decisions and take a chance on something unexpectedly amazing.

Shaw was wonderful as the caring, sensitive and commanding captain and it was clear why Zephyr fell in love with him. However Zephyr was a little hard to crack as she was rude and all he could really find to say about her was that she was so different from society misses. This was reiterated multiple times throughout the book and as it got old I wondered if there was another reason why she should be admired or loved. It quickly became apparent that these two were going to have an argue until we fall in love type relationship. This is something that's been done in lots of romance novels and I really do not get it as arguing and really not particularly liking someone does not make a good relationship and I don't see how two people fall in love like that. I think it's fine if they don't like each other and eventually get to know each other and fall in love but this was not how it occurred here.

Their mutual dislike of each other dissolved rather slowly which left only the last half of the book for any real steam to happen. There were a couple steamy scenes but nothing particularly exciting or hot although there was one fun scene where she incorporated some of the native customs. Really my favorite part of this book was Zephyr's relationship was her father and how her feelings about being his assistant for the rest of her life changed. Her love for Shaw gave her the courage to take a chance and do something new and completely different than what she had expected. I was almost completely uninterested in the expedition itself and did not feel as though the traveling through the seas and exploring the different islands really added much to the story. What was more important was his dealings with enemies and other ships and how he was more respectful of different cultures and avoided fighting.

Rating: I felt like there was not at all enough time spent on the relationship between Zephyr and Shaw, especially time with them getting along and being happy.

Rushed to the Altar

Rushed to the Altar by Jane Feather 826

Jasper Sullivan, the Earl of Blackwater, is not at all pleased when his dissolute uncle converts to Catholicism on his deathbed and decrees that his three nephews will have to save a lost soul by marrying a prostitute. Clarissa Astley is in London following her Uncle Luke in order to find her brother, Francis. After their father died he gave Francis into Luke's keeping and Luke took Francis and he has not been seen since. While wandering through the streets she bumps into Jasper who mistakes the woman alone on the street as a prostitute and decides that she will be a perfect soul to save and marry. She is horrified at first at the charade she is forced to engage in to pull this off but figures that hiding as a mistress is the perfect way to hide for her uncle while she works to find her brother at one of the baby farms she believes Francis has been placed in.

To hide her virginity from him she engages that help of some of the ladies of the evening at the establishment where she was able to find lodging. She is almost fully prepared when she moves in with Jasper but for a man with his experience it is obvious that Clarissa is anything but the whore he had been led to believe. Meanwhile Clarissa is scouring the seediest part of London looking for her brother and it isn't long before Luke realizes what has happened and decides that the best way to go about gaining Francis's fortune is to just get rid of Clarissa. Jasper is coming to love Clarissa and wants her to trust him with the secrets she's been keeping, including the sudden appearance of the young chimney-sweep, Frank, in the house. She desperately wants to, but is scared of what will happen to their relationship, but before she has the chance, Luke makes an appearance and Jasper will have to come to the rescue.

It took me a little while to get into this book and it was slow going for a while but once I got about halfway through the book I just zipped through it. It really took off when the relationship between Jasper and Clarissa became a real thing and not just something that was hinted at and talked about and when stuff finally started to happen with Francis and the evil Uncle Luke. Absolutely loved Charissa and how she went after her brother and pretended to be a prostitute and especially that she was willing to do some pretty wild stuff to pull off the charade. I won't make a spoiler but the way she "hid" her virginity was something I certainly never would have imagined reading. Jasper was almost as exciting but I really wish more of the book had been told from his point of view. I especially liked near the end as he began to get worried that Clarissa did not have the same feelings for him.

The convoluted will that brought the two of them together was quite an original and I really liked it. And I really liked the plot involving Uncle Luke and Francis because it added a real oomph to the story with some mystery and suspense. I was rather expecting that Francis' plight would lead to Clarissa becoming a crusader for children's rights and I admit I was a little disappointed when that did not happen. Francis was a very well written ten year old however I got a little frustrated when Clarissa basically set herself up by going out around town when she knew that there was a crazy man out on the loose looking for them. I also very much liked the parts of the book that were told from the point of view of Luke as it's always so interesting to really hear what the bad guy is thinking.

Rating: I really enjoyed all the interesting plots that combined to make such a great book that could have used some more realism and smarter characters.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley 828

When Isabella, daughter to the Earl of Scranton, eloped with Mac Mackenzie on the night of her betrothal ball, it caused an immense scandal and her family disowned her. The two had a tumultuous marriage with sparkling highs and disastrous lows. They would throw scandalous parties and were the talk of the town and they could not keep their hands off of each other, but when things got bad, Mac would head off to the continent for weeks at a time. Things came to a head when Isabella miscarried while Mac was away and the two were never able to work through it so Isabella left and got a legal separation. Her leaving forced Mac to take a hard look at his life and habits and he realized that he needed to stop drinking and refocus his energies. Three years later Isabella waltzes back into his life with news that his doppelganger is forging paintings and pretending to be him and all the old feelings come rushing back for both of them.

He had been trying to give her the space she needed, but with the support of his brothers, he is determined to make Isabella see that he is a changed man and she belongs with him. Despite seeing how much Mac has changed, Isabella is still wary of taking him back and is disturbed by his lack of concern over the forgeries. Ever since she left him and he gave up drinking, Mac had been unable to produce any decent works of art, but suddenly Isabella has become his muse and he can't get enough of painting her- especially in erotic poses. While the two of them seem to be getting along in the physical sense, a young woman shows up claiming that she was Mac's mistress and they have a child together. And when the doppelganger accosts Isabella in the park, Mac is furious and determined to find this man so that he can start a new life with Isabella. But the man is dangerous and the future they both suddenly want could be at risk.

This book had a lot to live up to after Ashley's last book and in some senses this book lives up to that, but at other times it falls far short. Mac is a recovering alcoholic, which I guess is supposed to parallel Ian's autism, but while alcoholism is terrible and recovery is certainly a cause worthy of celebrating the book really seems to skim over most of this except for a few brief scenes. His giving up drink to win back Isabella was a wonderful grand romantic gesture that I absolutely loved and throughout the book it was very clear that he wanted to be a great person for her and was willing to do so much for her. His actions in the past were certainly awful and I thought it was great that Isabella was willing to leave him so that he would sort through his issues. Isabella was a well written character and while at times I was certainly impressed with her she did not really come across as completely done as Mac did.

The plot involving the doppelganger really did not hold very much interest for me and I was not that excited to have it solved in the end. Perhaps this was because it ended in the usual kidnap, threaten to kill way or because it kind of disappeared a little bit through a big chunk of the book so I stopped thinking about. The best part of this section was the addition of the young child who really brought out some greatness in both Mac and Isabella and helped bring them closer together. The sex between them was well written, but did not really hold much interest for me almost as though it was put in there because it had to be; I enjoyed it more when they were lusting after each other instead of acting on it. Ian and Beth make substantial appearances that don't detract from the central focus of Mac and Isabella. This book also sets up the upcoming books about the Mackenzie brothers very well, and I can't wait to read them.

Rating: A very enjoyable hero with some interesting story elements lead to a satisfying, if not terribly exciting read.

Lessons From a Courtesan

Lessons From a Courtesan by Jenna Petersen 727

When Victoria discovers that her friend Chloe disappears after spending time in London as a courtesan, she and her friend Marah decide that the best way to find her will be to integrate themselves into that part of society. Victoria pretends to be Ria, a famous courtesan, and the two put it through town that Ria is quite skilled. Justin, the Earl of Bayberry, is stunned to realize this famous lady of the evening is actually his wife; the wife he left after their wedding night because her father had blackmailed him into the marriage and he did not think he could trust her. Justin had broken Victoria's heart and she does not want any feelings for Justin coming up and does not want him interfering in her search for Chloe. But Justin does get in the way and wants to know exactly why she is in London and will use any methods necessary- including seduction.

Victoria can not help herself when it comes to Justin and the two have trouble keeping their hands off each other, but neither can trust the other after the blackmailing and the leaving on the wedding night. With no other choice, Victoria agrees to let Justin help her find Chloe as everyone realizes that there are people out there who know what happened to her, including a man both of them think is potentially dangerous. The more time the two spend together, the more they each regret how their relationship played out, and Justin fears that he may want a real marriage with her. But Victoria has one more secret she needs to share with Justin and it may just mean the end of their relationship forever. But when Victoria's father comes and spills the beans about the blackmail, and the dangerous man from Chloe's past comes to confront Victoria, Justin faces the possibility that he may lose Victoria forever and that he cannot face.

So these two had quite the past as leaving someone on the wedding night is something it will take a lot of work to overcome. He does work to overcome this, but it is made especially annoying as all he would have had to do was ask Victoria if she had anything to do with the blackmail and so many problems could have been avoided. And the fact that after the marriage he chased after every woman he could find made the situation even worse. And then when she spills her secret he gets upset with her, and without saying what it was, I will say that, while she should have told him, he should have been there for it and I sided much more with her on this, even though it supposedly evened out what he had done to her. The major thing these two had going for them was sexual chemistry and there were times when he admitted the only method he had of controlling her/ getting through to her was by seducing her. The sex between them was fairly frequent and incredibly hot and very very well done.

The plot with Chloe disappearing could really not hold my interest and I can not really figure out precisely why. I felt as though I should have been intrigued and I did enjoy that it was integrated into the book and really meshed with everything else that happened, but I just did not like it. Maybe because it was so overarching and took up so much space, maybe because I couldn't help but feel that Victoria was going about finding Chloe in the most ridiculous and far- fetched manner possible. It didn't help that when they find Chloe I wanted to slap her upside the head for putting her friends through hell. I did like that the story was a little mysterious and I wasn't really sure until the very end what had happened to Chloe and who was involved. Their was a completely non- discussed side romance between Marah and Justin's brother that I wish had been written about more, as it wasn't really touched upon.

Rating: There were so many frustrating elements of the book but I did enjoy some of the emotions that came out about him leaving her.