ARC Review: Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell

Author: Anna Campbell

Title: Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed

Series: Sons of Sin #1

Source: Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley

About the Book: Will a week of seduction...

Desperate to save her sister's life, Sidonie Forsythe has agreed to submit herself to a terrible fate: Beyond the foreboding walls of Castle Craven, a notorious, hideously scarred scoundrel will take her virtue over the course of seven sinful nights. Yet instead of a monster, she encounters a man like no other. And during this week, she comes to care for Jonas Merrick in ways that defy all logic—even as a dark secret she carries threatens them both.

...Spark a lifetime of passionate surrender?

Ruthless loner Jonas knows exactly who he is. Should he forget, even for a moment, the curse he bears, a mere glance in the mirror serves as an agonizing reminder. So when the lovely Sidonie turns up on his doorstep, her seduction is an even more delicious prospect than he originally planned. But the hardened outcast is soon moved by her innocent beauty, sharp wit, and surprising courage. Now as dangerous enemies gather at the gate to destroy them, can their new, fragile love survive?

 

My Thoughts:

When I saw that Anna Campbell had a new historical romance out I absolutely knew I had to request it. I was not wrong, not in the least. The book is written very much in the Tradition of Claiming the Courtesan and Untouched. In fact, as soon as I figured that out, I could pretty much tell where the story was going and just about how it was going to unfold. I was also right about all that. Even so, what kept me tethered to the story were the same things that kept me very invested in those two other stories: the writing. Ms. Campbell does some beautiful writing. How can the following passage not draw a smile:

"You're just playing with me."
"Most definitely, tesoro. But your dilemma is your own fault. You're so irresistible."
"Command your willpower, Mr. Merrick. Defeat this weakness."
"I try, dear lady, I try."
"I'll bite you," she said savagely
"I'll bite you too before I am done."

From beautiful descriptions to heartbreaking tenderness, Ms. Campbell does it very well, and this book has it in spades. I loved the dialogue, when I was not smiling at some funny exchange - or the occasionally cheesy Romancelandia line - I was all caught up in the descriptions, or catching my throat at the haunting tenderness of it all - and mind you, I knew exactly what was going to happen. But I am not complaining about her formula, bot just because it works for me, but also because each set of characters to creates to play out the drama are wonderful.

I loved Sidonie and Jonas. Loved them. I loved that as much as possible, Sidonie tried to remain true to herself - and she never once tried to lie to herself. She wouldn't give herself to him when she did not want to or feel like she could afford to; but the moment she decided she wanted him, that was it. No prevaricating, no waiting for him to make another move, etc.

Another thing I loved about her was her perceptiveness. She could see through Jonas to the quick. Smart and beautiful and true. I started a bit when she referred to Jonas as a wanton in her private thoughts, and then decided I loved it very much! I never hear guys described as wanton in HRs, although the girls are always the virgins and they are the ones with oodles and oodles of debauching experience.

I also enjoyed Jonas' character very much. The vulnerability about him, and the fact that like Sidonie, he did not try to lie to himself. I'd wax more poetic, but my hands are getting tired of typing. :/

Finally, I also very much liked how true love did not make everything run smooth. Even after the admission of love, there were Sidonie's hopes and dreams and plans to consider, and Jonas' hang-ups to stand obstacle. I loved that they did not just vanish, and that the couple had to attempt to work through them.

I wasn't sure what rating to go with after I was done, but in the end, I settled on five, I had a roaring good time reading it, and will definitely revisit it. What more can you want? This makes me 3 for 3 with Ms. Campbell!

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

Quickie Review: The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley

Author: Jennifer Ashley

Title: The Duke's Perfect Wife

Series: Highland Pleasures #4

My Thoughts:

Hart Mackenzie's heroine did him justice. They were two wonderful people, and theirs was a beautiful, tender love story. Eleanor is a very well-drawn character, and a someone I'd like to be friends with if she were real. I enjoyed it very much - so much more than Ian Mackenzie's book. My favorite Mackenzie, my favorite heroine, and my favorite story of this series.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie
2. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage
3. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron

 

Quickie Review: Untouched by Anna Campbell

Author: Anna Campbell
Title: Untouched
Series: N/A
Pages: 374

Beautiful Grace Paget has no reason not to believe these words. After all, she was kidnapped, spirited away to a remote country manor, and told she is to grant this man his every desire . . . or lose her life. But Grace is no common trollop. So she risks everything to save her virtue by planning a daring escape, even though she finds herself tempted by this handsome man. There is something in his eyes that makes her wonder if he is as dangerous as he would have her believe.
Sheene knew nothing of the plan to bring him this woman. Locked up as a prisoner, called "mad" by all of the world, he will do anything to reclaim his life, and Grace's sensuous beauty has distracted him from his goals. And although he finds her irresistible, he is horrified to hold her against her will. Now, together, they must both revolt against the strange set of circumstances that have forced them together - for only then will Grace truly surrender to him . . . forever.

I don't think I can do this book justice. I feel the same way about it as I feel about Ms. Campbell's debut, Claiming the Courtesan: the storytelling is good enough to hold my attention, but I end up loving the story way more than I expect. The depth of the characters, and the beautiful, wistful prose makes for heady reading. That's all I have.

I can't believe I've owned this book for at least six months and have been sitting around complaining of reading slumps and not having any good books to read. I know this review is not very helpful, but it's all I can do. I love, love, loved this story!!

★★★★★

 

Review: Never Love a Highlander by Maya Banks

Author: Maya Banks
Title: Never Love a Highlander
Series: McCabe Trilogy #3

Caelen McCabe's young, reckless heart nearly destroyed his clan. Now putting family loyalty above all else, he steps up to marry his older brother's jilted bride and salvage the uneasy alliance between two clans. While beautiful Rionna McDonald is a fit wife for any man, Caelen trusts no woman, especially not this sweet temptress who torments him with white hot longing.

As the sacrificial lamb in her father's power game, Rionna will do her duty but protect her heart and her pride from another man's humiliation. Despite everything, the heat in Caelen's touch melts her defenses and she craves the sensual delights of a husband who guards his emotions as fiercely as his clan. But when the ultimate battle for the McCabe legacy is upon them, Rionna's true warrior spirit emerges. She will risk the wrath of her father, the fury of her enemies, and her life to prove to Caelen that his wife's love is too precious to lose.

Though I thought the first two books weren't all that interesting, I decided to read the final book book because the hero and heroine seemed like characters worth getting to know. I was right and I was wrong.

Never Love a Highlander is Rionna McDonald and Caelen's McCabe's story. After being stood up, first by Ewan, and then by Alaric, Rionna marries the last available McCabe brother to seal the alliance between their two families. Caelen moves to the McCabe lands to take over as Laird, and the rest of the story is about their journey to love.

Again, it isn't the best of stories, but there is no doubt Rionna and Caelen are the best characters in this entire trilogy, Rionna more so than Caelen. Caelen has his own demons to conquer, owing to betrayal by a woman many years ago. However, Caelen is a dolt a good amount of the time, especially at McCabe keep. He was still a more interesting character than Ewan or Alaric, though.

Rionna was sort of a disappointment. She'd seemed like such a unique character - a girl who fought with the soldiers and appeared quite good - she could best the McCabe men at swordfights int he previous books. Now, she just sorta floundered.

She is given no 'agency.' We find that she doesn't run with the men because she likes it, but rather because she was afraid of her father's abusive nature and so decided to learn to fight. She spends time outdoors with the men, but secretly wishes she could run the household and do makeup and things like the ladies. She is supposed to be this feisty woman but she obeys every single order that Caelen gives her, even when it is obvious he is being an idiot. She was a much weaker character than she appeared to be in the previous books, but even so, she was better than Mairin, Keeley, and all the one-dimensional women in this world Ms. Banks has created.

The story was marginally more interesting than the previous books, but not by much. And there were also a good amount of fillerish scenes - basically the same old story as the other two, just with slightly better characters. On the whole this series is one I don't recommend at all.

★★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

Review: Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks

Author: Maya Banks
Title: Seduction of a Highland Lass
Series: The McCabe Trilogy #2
Pages: 323

A warrior is caught between family loyalty and forbidden love in book two of bestselling author Maya Banks’s sensual new trilogy featuring three indomitable Highlanders.
Fiercely loyal to his elder brother, Alaric McCabe leads his clan in the fight for their birthright. Now he is prepared to wed for duty, as well. But on his way to claim the hand of Rionna McDonald, daughter of a neighboring chieftain, he is ambushed and left for dead. Miraculously, his life is saved by the soft touch of a Highland angel, a courageous beauty who will put to the test his fealty to his clan, his honor, and his deepest desires.
An outcast from her own clan, Keeley McDonald was betrayed by those she loved and trusted. When the wounded warrior falls from his horse, she is drawn to his strong, lean body. The wicked glint in his green eyes ignites a passion that will follow them back to Alaric’s keep, where their forbidden love draws them deeper into the pleasures of the flesh. But as conspiracy and danger circle closer, Alaric must make an impossible choice: Will he betray his blood ties for the woman he loves?

I'm still in the minority. I stand by my thoughts in the previous installment. This series is a fair to middling one, leaning very much on the side of middling.

Ms. Banks has written a good novel. That's not a bad thing in itself, except that there's so many stories saturating this genre that unless a story is original or very well-told, it's unremarkable. I definitely think that this one started out stronger than its predecessor, but then also floundered for a looooooooong while in the middle, and then came a passable ending. 

Alaric...well he was the hero of this story and a doofus too. I didn't care much for him. I mean, he was not stupid or annoying or anything. I just didn't think he had much honor. Alaric is betrothed to Rionna McDonald because the alliance is very favorable to his clan. Along the way, there's a series of unfortunate events and he falls for Keeley McDonald instead. And the story is about how Keeley and Alaric make their way. There's a scene at the end where Alaric waxes poetic about how you don't set aside the woman you love and want to marry because of political gain and how there is no honor in that. 

But he knew that all along. So why did he spend the whole book sleeping with Keeley and still planning to go ahead and marry Rionna? It was dishonorable then. Eh. Whatever. 

Keeley started out a strong character, and then she became as bland as all the women and other characters at the McCabe keep. I will not even go into discussing what a dumbass child Crispen is and how his death would be safer for everyone because that child is mortally idiotic like I haven't come across before. 

I will say this though. Throughout the entire series, the only people that have had some color about them, some sort of depth (whether real or imagined by me) seem to be Rionna and Caelen, so I am very interested in reading their story. We'll see how that goes. After all, I still have a whole bunch of challenges to finish, lol. Borrow this one if you must.

★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. In Bed With a Highlander - 3/5

 

Review: It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas

Author: Lisa Kleypas
Title: It Happened One Autumn
Series: Wallflowers #2

It happened at the ball...

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It happened in the garden...

When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed...thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It happened one autumn...

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable...as his bride?

I really, really, really liked this one.

From the first book I could tell Lord Westcliff was a keeper, and I was not too happy he was going to be paired of with Lillian, as she wasn't shown to be the nicest kind of person in the first book.

she was shown in a much better light this time around, and I was glad to see that she and Lord Westcliff were perfectly suited :D. For two people who are so tactile, headstrong and feisty, their story was a very muted, very gentle one - straight from the first kiss at the beginning to the admissions of love in the end, and I loved every second of it. I totally enjoyed this love story.

I love, love, love, Lord Westcliff. He has a lot of the charm and nuance of your normal Kleypas hero, which was missing in the hero of the previous book. And she showed such poesy and tenderness, i loved it! I also think Ms. Kleypas did a great job of making Lillian much more likable while keeping her true to her character from the previous book. I was liking lord Sebastian St. Vincent too, with his his funny remarks, until he did what he did at the end to his [probably only] friend at that. It was a despicable thing to do. Now I am not sure I like him at all and am worried for the next book.

I liked seeing Daisy again, and the Bowmans' mother made me laugh,s he was so over-the-top. I am indifferent to Annabelle's presence. I don't think it added or took anything away,and she was rather a wet blanket in this one. It was a shame Evie didn't have much face time in this book, but her piece in the epilogue was epic. I enjoyed just about everything in this book and am excited to start my favorite wallflower's story next. And even though I have heard awesome stuff about Sebastian St. Vincent of the next book, for me Lord Westcliff will be a hard hero to beat, I think :). We'll see about that.

★★★★½

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Secrets of a Summer Night - 3/5

 

Review: Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Author: Lisa Kleypas
Title: Secrets of a Summer Night
Series: Wallflowers #1

"Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born." Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing--and persistent--admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.
Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon--and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

A solid 3-star book, I think. I can see the setup for the whole series and who's to be paired of with who. I am excited about some matches and less excited about others. In general I think I like the men more than the ladies. Of the ladies, Evie is my favorite, and my two least favorite are Annabelle and Lillian, the latter being too mercenary and conscience-less for me.

Pertaining to this story, I thought Ms. Kleypas painted a very accurate picture of the poverty-stricken genteel girl, but still, Annabelle was not a very sympathetic character to me. Simon is....okay as a Kleypas hero, but she can and has done far better. The romance was middling to me. The tale was a likable one, but it ended at about 77% with the marriage of the hero and heroine. The remainder of the story was more filler than anything else, really.

All in all a good story for a night's entertainment, but forgettable. Looking forward to the other books, especially Evie's.

★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

Review: A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran

Author: Meredith Duran
Title: A Lady's Lesson in Scandal
Series: N/A
Pages: 385

IN GRITTY, WORKING-CLASS LONDON, SHE DOES WHAT SHE MUST TO SURVIVE...

When Nell Whitby breaks into an earl's house on a midnight quest for revenge, she finds her pistol pointed at the wrong man—one handsome as sin and naked as the day he was born. Pity he's a lunatic. He thinks her a missing heiress, but more to the point, he'll help her escape the slums and right a grave injustice. Not a bad bargain. All she has to do is marry him.

A NOTORIOUS LADIES' MAN COULD TAKE HER FROM POVERTY TO OPULENCE... BUT AT WHAT PRICE?

A rake of the first order, Simon St. Maur spent his restless youth burning every bridge he crossed. When he inherits an earldom without a single penny attached to it, he sees a chance to start over—provided he can find an heiress to fund his efforts. But his wicked reputation means courtship will be difficult—until fate sends him the most notorious missing heiress in history. All he needs now is to make her into a lady and keep himself from making the only mistake that could ruin everything: falling in love...

I was very excited to start this book because I had heard wonderful things about Meredith Duran's writing in general and two of her books in particular. This one was one of those books; the other was Bound by Your Touch.

After reading this one...well, the excitement has worn off a bit.

She tells a very uneven tale. On the whole, it was a good story - beautifully written, but some parts more so than others. So definitely, I can agree that Ms. Duran is good at her job. I stayed up to read this because her writing captured me and wouldn't let me go.

Basically the story is this: Nell was stolen from her parents and twin sister by a vengeful mistress/servant when she was a child. She grew up thinking the thief was her mother and spent her life in the terrible conditions the poor of regency England suffered. As the plot progresses, she meets Simon, who's inherited her real father's earldom but none of the money. He offers to help Nell prove her identity and win her inheritance provided she marry him so he can have some of the money too. He marries her, introduces her to society, she meets her twin..... it's a very predictable story, one we've hears countless times and in any number of variations. This one is not the most original of them. Its strength is that is is rather beautifully written. It would have been an excellent story except that her characters sucked - one character in particular, and it is (you guessed it) the idiot that passed for the heroine.

I wanted to beat her. She was SUCH a snob, such a hypocrite! She went about looking down her nose at the gentry and rich people because they had no idea what it was like to be poor when she herself put on more airs than anyone in the whole damn book!

1. She looked down on servants because they had to 'serve' their masters. Ooooh that one upset me! The idea that honest work has no merit because one is a servant instead of slaving away at some workhouse.....stupid girl.

2. She protested too much! Yes we get it. You were poor. You had to scrape by. Others were not. NO, it does NOT make you better than them. In fact, I can't think of a single rich person/gentry who acted with as much gracelessness as Nell did the entire novel. She was the haughty one, the unforgiving one, the unbending one, the selfish one. S.M.H.

3. There is a scene getting towards that proves point #2 so well. Her twin sister, at first reluctant to accept this so-called twin who didn't even remember her (a perfectly rational reaction, might I add), in a fit of weakness attempts to do Nell some harm. Before it progresses, the twin repents and tries to make amends. It doesn't work, and the harm is sorta kinda done (it was a weak plot device anyway and didn't add much to the story, so whatever). This twin (Katharine), humbly comes in, with tears, remorseful, to ask for forgiveness. Guess who puts on airs. Yep. Ms. Nell-I'm-so-much-better-than-any-of-you-because-I-was-poor.

Oh I wanted to beat that idiot. She ruined what would have been a good story. Simon, the hero, is a fool. If he had any sense at all, he'd have married Katharine a long time ago before Nell even came into the picture - Lord knows she's a better human being than Nell.

Even so, I can see why people rave about Ms. Duran's work and I will definitely be looking out for more of her tales. Unless I find out that all her heroines are like this...this imbecile. Then no, no amount of good writing is enough for that.

★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

N/A

 

In Bed With a Highlander by Maya Banks

McCabe Trilogy #1
In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks
★★★

I hope this doesn't come across as too ranty, but I am a slightly more than a a bit disgruntled.

See, the highlander historical romance genre is over-saturated. The landscape is choking with stories and heroes and heroines, some trite, some cliche, most of them entirely TSTL, and very few truly original and enjoyable treasures hidden among the dross.

Um... I did feel that this book ended up being part of the dross, even though so many loved it. It was not a bad book, but like I said, in an over-saturated field, an 'ok' book really isn't what you want. I also had so many problems with the characterization.

Mairin, the heroine of the story, comes in when the soon of Ewan, the hero, gets lost for being stupid. Now...this is the Scottish highlands at a time when clans were warring, and it was dangerous to be caught out. I would expect that people guarded their children close, especially clans that didn't have the money to pay for a ransom, if a person was caught. And I fail to understand how I'm expected to believe children can be so stupid. Children are smart, especially in dangerous times. They know what is going too far. So I failed to understand how any not-dimwitted child would have done what Crispen did, and consequently, brought our hero and heroine together. Strike one.

Mairin was also a dimwit, IMO. I mean, it was a common occurrence in those days to hang up bloodstained sheets to prove a bedding, no? And when a group of warriors intent upon kidnapping you and forcing you to marry another man is bearing down on the wedding, it is beyond obvious to me that the damn bedding had better be done in haste. No? But it seems Mairin thought that people bearing down notwithstanding, she deserved hours and hours of lovemaking. Go figure. Strike two. Another strike against her was that stupid habit of blurting any and everything and not realizing it. You would think one would notice the first two times you said something awkward and realized everyone heard you.

The final strike against this book were scenes that were very, very, reminiscent of some scenes in a Julie Garwood book I'd read - I think it was The Bride. I don't mind derivative works, but like others have said, it seemed like a blatant rip-off, :(. Strike three.


The book was a not-badly-written book, but I am pretty sure I won't continue with the remaining two. But dammit, I have had those books for so long in the waiting queue at my library!

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Love, Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas

Love Come to Me by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: ★★★½

At times like this I really wish GoodReads would let us use half-stars. This is the perfect example of a book caught midway between three and four stars.

I think this is one of Lisa Kleypas's earliest books - you can definitely tell it was written much earlier in her career because although it is enjoyable, it isn't as masterful as her more recent work. It was a good story, but fairly unremarkable.

My biggest issue was probably Daniel. He was made only as a foil for Heath, so we could see how awesome he is. Daniel was portrayed as a stickler, a controlling person and someone with no regard whatsoever for women. After portraying someone like that, I don't want to see him near any female in the book. I don't understand why we have to pair him up with someone else,a s if it's supposed to be okay that he isn't with the heroine. He shouldn't be with anyone, period. Lots of authors do this too, not just LK :/

Then there was Damon too. Damon was a wonderful character, nuanced in a way neither Lucinda or Heath were. Stickler for duty and honor, with some prejudices, but willing to discard them when confronted with it. I wanted to know more about him, and it is a shame there is no sequel featuring him. he was the best written person in the book. I didn't understand the purpose of making him want Lucy too....

Overall a good read while it lasted, but quite forgettable. Except for Damon, :)

View all my reviews

The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas

The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas
My rating: ★★★★

I chose to read this Western romance for a challenge, and I am glad I did.

I love the characters Jodi Thomas created for her novel. This book in set in Texas at the time of the Western frontier and is about Bailee and Carter's "arranged marriage" after a hilarious series of unfortunate events that landed Bailee in trouble.

This is a character-driven book, and oh my, what awesome characters they are! Carter is beyond sweet! And Bailee is funny. I didn't like hearing the beginning because i didn't understand how a woman could be so silly about sexual relations with her husband, but I realized that's how they were brought up in those days. Once I got over that hang-up, I went along with them on their incredibly sweet journey to love.

Pure awesomeness.

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Ruthless by Anne Stuart

House of Rohan #1
Ruthless by Anne Stuart
My rating: ★★★★
RUTHLESS is my introduction to Anne Stuart and the House of Rohan series.

As introductions go, this is not a bad one at all. I quite liked the story and I also liked the pace, which surprised me. It was paced much slower than I normally read, but that just meant Ms. Stuart spent a lot of time building the characters.

In faster-paced books, the character of Lord Rohan would have annoyed me no end, but because she spent so much time pacing the story, I found myself facing a very flawed, quite tortured man, but a good man no less. Elinor was a fitting heroine. Her strength and vulnerability were a good complement to Lord Rohan's caustic character, and her wit meant she was more than a match for him.

My impression over all is of a good, meaty story with excellent characters, and I am excited to add Anne Stuart to my current repertoire of authors.

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Duchess in Love by Eloisa James

Duchess in Love by Eloisa James
My rating: ★★

Not her best work.
Eloisa James' writing is good as always, but this time around, here characters were not as good. There was not one of the females that was not witless, frivolous and simpering. They were just not good characters, IMO. None of the males were either.
The plot was boring and I found myself patently uninterested throughout the novel.
I am putting it as DNF because I skimmed major portions of the book.

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When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

My rating: ★★★★★

All the people whose reviews I trust raved about this book. Well, i just finished it and...

Wow. I have nothing useful to add to the other glowing reviews except that this book is A-MAZING! It was so much fun to read and I am in awe of Ms. James' talent. It's a simple enough tale - a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Only this time, instead of a literal beast Ms. James gives us a hero "Beast" who's fashioned after Dr. House: a brilliant doctor who behaves like a beast. Cue in the awesome snark. To me the heroine perfectly mirrored Belle in the original fairy tale - beautiful and wickedly smart. Put the Beauty and the Beast together and you have an awesome story that is rollicking fun.

FUNFUFUNFUNFUN!I can't tell you how much fun I had reading this book. It was almost like watching a particularly brilliant episode of House on TV, lol. Amid all the fun, Ms. James also manages to tell a very touching love story. Several scenes tugged at my heartstrings and tear ducts (but I firmly resisted the urge to cry, lol).

I can find absolutely nothing wrong with this book and everything right with it. Pure awesomeness.



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Unclaimed, by Courtney Milan

Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

My rating: ★★★ and three quarters

This book is my introduction to Courtney Milan's work and I am very impressed. Even so, I found it hard to decide what rating to give this book. Sometimes it felt like a 5-star book, others a 4-star book, and then sometimes a 3-star book. So I think I am going to settle on 3.75 stars.

Ms. Milan's writing is excellent, especially at the beginning. Sometimes I would stop to read passages over again just because I liked them and thought they were beautiful.

In the years that followed, she'd learned that the glittering finery was a trap, that the soiree was not endless.It eroded you, piece by irrevocable piece. it made a mockery of love, and if you did not look after your heart with ferocious care, you'd find. bit by bit, that you'd traded it for silk ribbons and baubles on gold chains.

Other times I would stop to read a line because it made me laugh or giggle, little gems like

There's no need to sound so surprised. I'm chaste, not dead.

I was entertained for 425 pages. Whenever I felt my interest waning, something would come up that would throw me right back in again. None of the scenes were 'filler scenes.' More importantly, the characters were not TSTL - oh yes, and they actually made decisions like they were mature, thinking adults. One thing I really loved was that anytime I thought a scene was being set up for a 'big misunderstanding' type scenario, Ms. Milan would turn the tables on me and have the hero and heroine talk and work it out like they were sensible people. I loved that!

My main problem, and the reason why this book is not rated five stars is the premise. I think it's an original premise but one that Ms. Milan doesn't quite manage to pull off (for me). Jessica is an undercover courtesan (lol!) with a mission: seduce Sir Mark, get proof of it, and make it public, so as to ruin his reputation. She has her (very good reasons) for doing it. Along the way she falls in love, and how can you ruin the man you love? That is the conundrum.

Sir Mark is one of, if not the most eligible bachelor in London; and his reputation is unparalleled and his character is of renown. What is he renowned for? His virtue. That is where my problem comes in. I just don't buy the whole male chastity angle. It is not that I don't believe that some believed in and practiced chastity in those times, it is just that I simply cannot believe that a man would write about it (who was not deeply religious and/or affiliated with a church, like Charles Wesley or somebody) and furthermore that he would gain a huge following of men/young boys who then tried to emulate him. I can't believe it, and I couldn't suspend belief long enough that it didn't factor into my enjoyment of the story. (I hope this is not a spoiler) It bothered me quite a bit, so I took one star off for that.

The other (minor) issue I had with the book was that at times Mark was perfectly imperfect (don't you just love that when it happens?), but once a while I'd read a passage that left me feeling that he was a bit too perfect. The other male characters in the book were but a foil for him, making him seem a lot like the saint/paragon that he claimed he wasn't. But that's really minor, so I only took of 0.25 stars for that, lol.

All in all, I would most definitely recommend it. It is very well-written and it was interesting. I don't know what more you could ask from a book. And I will also most definitely be scoping out more of Ms. Milan's work.

PS: This book is part of a series and I had no trouble following, even though I haven't read the other books.
*I received this ebook free from Netgalley. It had no influence on my review/rating*



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Soulless, by Gail Carriger

Soulless by Gail Carriger

My rating: ★★★★½


The entire time I was reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about limericks. That's what this book is - a limerick: something absurd and fanciful, which is created masterfully and results in a work that is utterly delightful. Right from the get-go, I thoroughly enjoyed wading through the story.

The book is essentially about Alexia, a soulless person in a London filled with soul-full beings. Normal humans have the requisite amount of soul, while supernaturals (vampires, werewolves, etc) have an overabundance of soul. Of course, since this is a romantic fantasy, it is also about Alexia finding love with the local werewolf Alpha, Lord Maccon.

Lord Maccon, Professor Lyall and Alexia were a joy to read about, and consistently kept me laughing. Some of the side characters are also interesting, namely the flamboyant Lord Akeldama and Alexia's friend Ivy.

By far the best thing about this book is the writing. Absurd fun!
It is definitely well worth a read.



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This Fierce Splendor, by Iris Johansen

This Fierce Splendor: by Iris Johansen

My rating: ★★½



Elspeth comes in search of Dominic Delaney, seeking his assistance to find the fabled city Kantalan. This is the story of the journey which Elspeth and Dominic undertake, assisted by a cast of characters. And oh yes, it's also the story of their love.

This is my first Loveswept romance, and I must say I wanted to like this book, I truly did. But I did not. There were so many things wrong with it that I felt it never realized its full potential.

For one, I felt the prologue was overwrought. The rest of the book was like a roller coaster - great moments, then dull moments, then moments where you're like WTH?, and then the cycle starts all over again. Inconsistent, that's the word I want - it was inconsistent. I didn't enjoy that.

The characters were also a roller coaster for me. One moment I empathized with them, the next moment I was annoyed with them, the next moment I was disgusted; and then straight back to empathy. That also didn't work for me either.

In the end I came to dislike them, especially Silver. I found her hateful and rude and not endearing at all. And rather prejudiced. You know, being prejudiced does not gain a character empathy even when she's being prejudiced against people who were prejudiced against her.

This book had all the makings of a good story,and it could have been one, but the characters were not very likable and the story was not always engaging. I did end up skimming major portions of the book just because I could not resonate with the writing or the characters - I guess that counts as DNF territory. Womp.


*I received this book from Netgalley*


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The Iron Duke, by Meljean Brook

The Iron Seas #1
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
★★★½

I don't quite know how to feel about the Iron Duke.

I really enjoyed Ms. Brook's writing style,the genre (steampunk) is new to me, and her premise was fascinating. Having said all of that...

The plot was kinda confusing for me to follow. We have a parallel world which I did not fully understand. I still can't quite picture the horde in my mind and it took several chapters for me to figure out who a bugger was. There were also several scenes that I read that I couldn't quite 'see' with my mind's eye, so it felt like I was just reading words instead of following the story.

This is supposed to be a romance (no?) but there was a mystery that formed a significant part of the plot - I enjoyed the bits I could understand. Even though I read the book, I still am not clear how exactly they pieced the clues together....yeah.

Rhys, the title character ,is the hero (duh) and a well-written one at that. (What is it with authors writing really good heroes and slightly less-good heroines?)He was a man of honor, although it was a peculiar sort of honor. I liked his characterization. He has an interesting backstory which I felt could have been explored more. In any case, the details Ms. Brook gave of his past was not enough to satisfy me, nor was it enough for me to be able to see why/how Rhys grew into the man we know as the Iron Duke.

Mina the heroine was...less well-written than Rhys, but she was one of the better heroines I've read: not simpering, not an idiot, not harsh-masquerading-as-badass. Her backstory was heartbreaking. She was the preoduct of a mating frenzy where her mother had presumably mated with a horde. Unfortunately she was born with horde features,a constant reminder to the people of England what they'd suffered at the hands of the horde; so she went through life a pariah, with people spitting at her in the streets, etc. She was also the reason I almost cried reading this book.

But sister-girl could be annoying at times. No, Rhys is not obligated to pay the ransom for all of the boys taken captive by the pirate ship! And a good deal of the misunderstanding she and Rhys had could have been avoided if she'd just opened her mouth and said something instead of being a martyr.

I enjoyed immersing myself in the world Ms. Brook has created: the mystery and the romance were engaging enough - but there were several things that detracted from it for me, especially the murkiness of the plot ( others may not have been confused, but several times I was confused ) But I'm glad I read this one. And I'll continue with the series.
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