A Hellion in Her Bed

A Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffires 1010

None of the Sharpe siblings are happy about their grandmothers ultimatum that they must marry within a year or she will cut them out of her will, but with one down and 4 more to go she is not relenting. Jarrett Sharpe is a successful gambler and is happy with his carefree existence with no plans to marry. When his grandmother becomes ill he takes over running of the family brewery, Plumtree Brewery, for a year in exchange for getting out of marriage clause. Annabel Lake's family also owns a brewery and things have been very difficult ever since the Russians raised the tariff on imported beer and her brother started drinking heavily. She wants to partner with the Plumtree Brewery to sell October Ale in India in collusion with the East India Company who has a spot to fill in their need for alcoholic beverages. She hopes to work with another woman, but is instead confronted with Jarrett.

Jarrett is at first reluctant to help her so they make a wager with her a night in his bed against him helping her. She wins so he decides that he will at least check out the Lake Ale operations and see how things are there- and it's an added benefit if he gets to spend time with delectable Annabel. He tries to keep his passions under control as he does not want to ruin her but when he finds out that her brother is a drunkard she risks everything again and admits that she is not a virgin. He is shocked and still angry with her for lying to him and manipulating him but he quickly realizes that one night with her will not be enough. But Annabel has one more secret that keeps her from completely separating herself rom her family in Burton and moving on with her life with Jarrett. They both try to make the best of things on their own but neither can deny that they need the other in their life to be happy.

This is the second in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series by Jeffries and featured the second eldest of the Sharpe siblings. I did not enjoy this book anywhere near as much as the first book but I still thought it was acceptable if not particularly exciting. I liked that Annabel wasn't a virgin and was comfortable really with her sexuality and that Jarrett, while surprised, was completely accepting of what she had gone through and her secrets. Jarrett was good as the wastrel who was turning his life around and I enjoyed that Annabel was a part of that but not the complete impetuous for him becoming a better person. The interactions between them were fun and they had real conversations going even if the card game that brought them together was a tad on the ridiculous side. Their was a decent amount of sex, nothing particularly hot but pretty decent really.

The brewery angle to the story was new and interesting enough and I liked that there was something that Annabel and Jarrett had in common- something that could really bond them. It also added a nice bit of tension to the story as to whether he would help her and whether it would turn out okay for both of them (even though it being a romance novel we all knew that of course he'd help and yes it would end up okay for both of them). Because this book is a part of a series there were quite a few appearances by the other Sharpe siblings who will be featured in upcoming novels and I realized that I actually enjoy these little sneak peeks into the future even while I was annoyed by the appearance of Oliver and Maria because I already knew that they were happy together.

Rating: Although the book was good I had immense trouble getting into it and finishing it and I hope for better in the rest of the series.

A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior

A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior by Suzanne Enoch 706

Theresa Weller has been a very proper young lady who has dedicated her life to always behaving with decorum. Until her cousin's brother-in-law, Colonel Bartholomew James, returns from India and disrupts her life. Bartholomew, Tolly, was horribly injured in India when his unit was attacked by the Thuggee's, and he has an infected knee that has never completely healed leading to immense pain and a limp. From their first meeting they each throw the other for the loop and Tolly begins to rethink his belief that his life is over and hopeless, while Theresa wonders if she has been too dedicated to propriety. She challenges him by admitting she wants to dance with him so he decides to undergo a risky procedure that could vastly help him or end with him losing his leg. Theresa is quickly coming to realize that Tolly is more than just any other suitor and he is definitely someone worth a little scandal.

Tolly wants Theresa, wants her more than he has ever wanted anything in his life, and it was her entrance into his life that reawakened his desire to survive. However, he is worried that she will come to regret taking a chance on him, especially when the East India Company comes out and says that the Thuggee's have been made up and are simply an excuse made up by cowards. Suddenly Tolly finds himself in need of allies and desperately trying to gain justice for the men under his command and prove they were heroes. He also feels no small amount of guilt for their deaths and he and Theresa are able to find common ground as she also feels responsible for her parents deaths. It takes immense courage but Theresa knows she needs to take a leap and believe in the man she loves to help him in his struggles. But it might be quite a leap as there are people who want to silence Tolly, and Theresa needs to give him one more reason to live.

Romance wise this book is one of the best I have ever read. I so loved reading about how much these two were willing to do, how much they were willing to risk and sacrifice in order to be with each other, or make the other happy. And it was made so much better because they were both doing so and welcomed and acknowledged how much they were each doing for each other. Her reaction to Tolly's knee surgery were perfect and just so beautiful and the story really took off from there. The book really does focus on their relationship and it progresses so well throughout the book. There was a brief time when I felt her guilt over her parents death was a tad overdone, but then it worked out so well with them mutually helping each other through their guilt. She really goes out on a limb for him in this story as it goes against everything she'd been working towards, but Tolly was definitely worth it.

Their was some steam in the novel, not a lot, but enough and I especially loved the kissing because it caused her to reflect on how the choices she had made in her life. She underwent some really moving changes throughout the book, and Tolly reciprocated by being so willing to change for her. I was also very intrigued by the East India/ Thuggee murder plot partly because it was so interesting and I really got into having the bad guys go down and the good guys get their little revenge. Also- I loved it because it made Tolly who he was and really lead him straight to Theresa and some great moments between them. The secondary characters were spot on, being a little concerned about her suddenly being so scandalous over such an inappropriate man, but also happy that he's helping her get over her guilt. Finally I really enjoyed the fast paced writing and the word choice that really brought the book up.

Rating: Tolly and Theresa are one of my favorite couples of all time and what they did in the book for each other, along with the interesting little conspiracy, made this book great.

Married by Morning

Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas 701

Catherine Marks has been hiding out as companion and governess to the Hathaways doing her best to control their behavior and avoid Leo, Viscount Ramsey. Everytime Catherine and Leo are in the same room they end up arguing about anything and everything. When Leo discovers that Catherine has been dying her hair to make herself less attractive and is his brother-in-law Harry's half-sister. He has this crazy desire to know everything about her, discover all her secrets, and he can't seem to keep from imagining her naked. The entire family gets in on the action and uses every possible excuse to throw them together and it isn't long that Leo realizes Catherine is far more than a governess. She rescues him when he falls through a roof and gets a large splinter lodged in his arm and that night she sneaks into his room, where he can't stop himself from grabbing hold of her and kissing her senseless.

When someone from her past shows up, Catherine is forced to divulge the truth about her past: she had lived with her aunt in a brothel and she had been sold to the highest bidder, before Harry had rescued her. Meanwhile is is discovered that the house the Hathaway's live in actually belongs to someone else unless Leo can marry and sire an heir within the next year. The more he gets to know Catherine the more he thinks she will be the perfect wife for him, but she is terrified that the truth about her past will get out and she, and the rest of the Hathaways, will be spurned by society. Leo wants Catherine desperately and he realizes that being married to her could be the solution to both their problems and it doesn't hurt that his verbal sparing with her will keep him on his toes. But neither realizes that Catherine's aunt has been angry at her for leaving for years and when Leo is forced to rescue her they both confront their feelings and decide that maybe arguments could be good for a happily ever after.

I was completely looking forward to this book after reading Tempt Me at Twilight and reading a little bit of Catherine and Leo together. This kind of harkened back to romances I used to read when arguing served as a source of foreplay for the characters and they both enjoyed it. However, I do not enjoy it so much. Luckily, the book did have some nice moments between them when they really showed how much they cared for the other. So often I complain about author's who throw all of their past characters into a book and have them be all lovey and perfect. I feel like they're trying to make me buy the other books and that they're just hitting me over the head with how great they write characters who can end up happily ever after. I don't know how or why but when Kleypas does it, I enjoy revisiting past characters and reading about them interacting with the new hero and heroines.

The sex between Harry and Catherine was nice and steamy, not crazy hot or anything, but there was definitely a hint of submission on her part that the book addressed very well. I also liked that there were not any demons that Leo had to deal with as it would have just been a little too much as she had plenty of her own. I completely loved that she shared her fears about the man who had paid for her and starts to harass and threaten her with Harry and Leo. Too often heroines think they're over-reacting or that they can handle it themselves and it was nice to see her take advantage of the fact that she had people who cared for her and would do anything to help her. This went hand in hand with Kleypas writing two exciting and intertwined side plots involving the bad guy and her bitter aunt. They were great because they directly involved her and her past and worked within the story, did not overwhelm the story, and took up an appropriate amount of page space.

Rating: I would probably give this 3 1/2 hearts because I enjoyed it more than adequately but I know that Kleypas can do so much better and so much more exciting.

Sinful in Satin

Sinful in Satin by Madeline Hunter 1007

Miss Celia Pennifold is called to London for her mother's funeral and to manage the debts her mother left upon her death. Her mother had once been the most celebrated courtesan in London and everyone had expected Celia to follow in her footsteps but instead she had run away and joined other females at The Rarest Blooms out in the country. She is not surprised that most of her mother's holdings will go straight to settling debts but she is left a small house. Said house comes with a tenant: Mr. Jonathan Albrighton, who had been a friend to her when she lived with her mother. She hopes to use the house she is left to become partner in her friend's flower business and make a decent life for herself without having to become like her mother. But then a man from her past shows up with a new debt and the hope that Celia will agree to become his mistress.

Celia had once fancied herself in love with Anthony Dearang but he had dashed her hopes when he refused to marry her and wanted to set her up as his mistress so she had run away from London. She now knows that what she felt for Anthony is not love as she is beginning to feel real emotion for Jonathan. At first annoyed by his presence she has come to enjoy their time together, especially when they are doing something naughty. He supports her decision to help run a business and her decision to turn away from the life her mother had planned for her. But Celia is very aware of her social status and how she should not hope from marriage from anyone. As the bastard of a high-ranking peer who never acknowledged him, Jonathan too knows about social status but unlike Celia it does not matter to him. What does matter is making the woman he loves happy and making her see that she loves him too.

This book is part of a series by Madeline Hunter and the series had had its ups and downs and this book falls fairly squarely in the middle. Celia was great as the courtesan's daughter who was trying to avoid that life even as everyone around her pretty much assumed that she would give in to temptation. However, what made her situation so realistic, was that she had not given up that life because of some great moral compass and she continued to use and respect some of the things that her mother had taught her when she was going to become a courtesan. So basically she was warring between her practical self which was telling her to just give in and have a comforting life and forging her own path and taking some great risks and hoping that she could find a man who loved her despite, or because of, her rather unusual past. This made it even more exciting when she did decide on love and a life with Jonathan.

Jonathan was also great as the bastard who was trying to get to know his real family while at the same time pretending he didn't really care about being accepted. This made him a great foil for Celia who was going through some of the same issues herself and enabled him to help her through it. The language throughout the book was rather on the flowery side for my taste but it was especially annoying during the sex scenes which were plentiful and sometimes bordered on hot, but just not really exciting. There were plenty of allusions to the things she had learned with her mother but we really did not get to read too much about these things. Their was a confusing bit about Jonathan trying to dig up information about a spy network, but it was rather convoluted and I did not really care for it. He was of course friends with the heroes from the other books and she was friends with the heroines so there were lots of meetings betw

een them and talks and general being so great together.

Rating: This was a good, fun to read book, with two wonderful characters but too flowery and weird maybe spying and betrayal bits that I didn't really get the point of.

A Secret Affair

A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh 615

Hannah, the widowed Duchess of Dunbarton, is finally out of mourning after ten years being married to a man old enough to be her grandfather and she wants to finally experience a grand passion. She chooses Mr. Constantine Huxtable, who was born four days before his parents marriage and thus did not inherit the earldom of Merton. Con cannot deny that the Duchess is gorgeous, but she has an air of coldness about her and he is not interested in playing any games with her. He makes it clear from the outset that she can't play these games with her, and while her childhood friend, Elizabeth, does not approve, the two do begin an affair. While both are determined to keep things purely physical it naturally follows that they each begin to want to know more about each other while closely guarding their own secrets. The first secret to come out is that Hannah had remained a virgin throughout her marriage and despite the numerous affairs she was rumored to have.

This reveal leads Con to the conclusion that there is quite a bit about Hannah that he, and everyone else in the ton, has never known. Meanwhile Hannah is trying desperately to get to the bottom of Con's feud with his cousin Elliot, the Duke of Moreland. Finally Con learns that Hannah's marriage to the deceased Duke was formed when Hannah had been dumped by her fiance for her own sister. After much soul searching Con admits that his feud with Elliot was based on missing jewels- jewels he had sold with his brother's permission to finance a home for society's undesirables. This is quite the coincidence as Hannah herself sold many of her own jewels to finance a house for elderly outcasts. During a house party Hannah gets to know Con's very large family, and while reluctant at first they eventually come to love her and accept her as a member of the family. Together, Con and Hannah must learn to move past their own pasts and start a peaceful and family full life together.

Hannah was incredibly withdrawn and was hiding the real her from the rest of the world and merely presenting a facade of coldness in order to protect her heart. If done properly this can be rather interesting, but I really did not enjoy it in this case. It just came across as depressing and of course she ended up realizing that all she needed was a man to love her and lots of children. I liked that she progressed from the coldness to being a happy person and she certainly showed she cared for Con, but I wish it had not been quite so all encompassing. I am not exactly one for the poor beautiful girl plot and there is certainly quite a bit made in this novel about how she was rather mistreated by her sibling, her father, and her former fiance because her looks. While I still don't exactly appreciate this method of building tension and secret brooding into the plot, at least Balogh did do a good job completely fleshing this out so it was not superficial and really did go a ways to explaining what was happening with Hannah.

I was so looking forward to Con's story because he was so great in the rest of the Huxtable books and he did not really disappoint. The secret behind his feud with Elliot was disappointing, but I was not really expecting anything better than that. I admit I would have liked for him to have been paired up with someone completely opposite him- someone really lively and happy. His having the house for unwanted people seemed more genuine than Hannah's having a house for random old people though and I do tend not to like when author's randomly seem to throw in a good cause to make the character's seem likable despite their immense wealth. Unfortunately this book contained far too much of something Balogh does all too often: previous characters make far too many appearances and almost take over the book. And sadly enough I really could not keep them straight when she referred to them by their titles. Also- I felt there was too much forgiveness and the book just ended up too saccharine.

Rating: The cover is certainly excellent and I did tend to like the beginning when they were getting to know each other but the book deteriorated from there.