Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas

Gigi and Camden….the perfect couple in London’s polite society, who maintained an amiable distance for 10 years….distance that spanned over two continents….After 10 years Gigi has found the perfect man who would accept her and love her as she is…and she wants to marry him…hence after a decade she asks her husband for a divorce…a quick and convenient end to the marriage that existed only in name for about a decade…..Least does she expect Camden to show up on her doorstep….Agreeing to give her a divorce on ‘one’ condition….She must give him a heir…for which she would have to endure his attentions for a year….a year and if she produced no heirs he would set her free….Gigi agrees to this request somewhat reluctantly …as she sees this as the only way to get rid of  the man who got over her 10 years ago…


Philippa Gilberte Rowland…. ‘Gigi’ is not beautiful, genteel or charming….but she is rich, with no confidence in her womanly wiles but strong faith in her considerable fortune and the opportunity it presents to snag a coronet of Strawberry leaves to become a duchess….She has ‘almost’ snagged herself a duke…’almost’ because the said duke has an accident and dies…..Enter Camden…the afore mentioned duke’s heir….

Camden is a handsome and engaging young man who has single-handedly kept his family from financial ruin, and, like Gigi, understands the importance of wealth and the value of hard work. He is a physicist and admires Gigi’s courage, intelligence and ‘enterprising’ ways….Gigi admires Camden’s intelligence too and both of them have emotional voids that the other could fill.. Between the strong mutual attraction, however, lies a promise Camden has made to another woman, an incredibly shy beauty who continued to waffle on a final decision to marry Camden, despite his honorable intentions to wait her out. Gigi is not so patient, however, and despite Camden’s refusal of her proposal, she ultimately schemes to bring Camden’s attraction more directly into alignment with her intent to marry.

It is a ruse Camden discovers before the wedding, and his anger morphs into a plan to humiliate Gigi without sacrificing his access to her considerable fortune. Thus, after one night of wedded life, Gigi and Camden are separated for a decade, still married but fully estranged. When Camden arrives at Gigi’s doorstep demanding an heir in exchange for the divorce she is now seeking, all the unsettled emotion between them flares, bringing the civility of ten years’ separation to a quick, blessed end.

The novel proceeds as an unfolding of Gigi and Camden’s relationship, past and present. The strategy works well, helping build the emotional tension in the couple’s current estrangement by slowly revealing the events leading up to it, including the incredibly strong connection between Gigi and Camden at the beginning of their relationship.  And as I shuffled between the past and the present with the story I was not sure whose side I was on. Initially I was with Camden because he was deceived, then I was with Gigi because Camden blinded by his pride just could not see her love. By the end I was not sure whether  I was on Camden’s side of the argument or Gigi’s. But by then I was already praying for their reconciliation.

This would definitely be a 9/10 book! Just for the sheer spectrum of emotions it invokes in the reader and its somewhat selfish, but lovely yet practical characters!

Goddess of the hunt by Tessa Dare

   

Lucy Waltham has grown up on her brother’s estate, riding, fishing, and shooting. A highlight of the year has always been the fall, when Henry’s three dearest friends – Felix, Toby, and Jeremy - arrive for weeks of outdoor activities. Henry’s marriage and subsequent fatherhood only meant that Lucy couldn’t enjoy a London Season, as it seems her sister-in-law is continually pregnant.  Now Lucy is 19 and determined to marry the man she loves: Sir Toby Aldridge, whom she’s loved since she was a child.

There is a slight problem. Felix has arrived with his new wife and her sister, Sophia, and Toby has fallen head over heels for her. Sophia is pretty, ladylike, and also wealthy – in short, everything that Lucy is not. So Lucy decides to use Jeremy Trescott, Earl of Kendall, to practice her seductive wiles and make Toby jealous. Surely Jemmy, whom Lucy has also known since childhood, will help her out?

Jeremy is outraged, though he can’t quite figure out why. He tells himself that he doesn’t want Lucy to make a fool of herself and have her feelings hurt. But why is he spending so much time thinking about her delectable beauty and enchanting body? Toby would be all wrong for Lucy.  Jeremy, of course, isn’t interested in marriage, but he’ll do whatever it takes to, um, protect Lucy.

These two are a hoot. Lucy is about as unpretentious a heroine as they come, which is an absolutely delightful breath of fresh air. She fumbles and makes mistakes, but never dwells on them, only pushes ahead to her next idea. Jeremy finds her joie de vivre to be infectious, though he tries hard to hold onto his staid, proper demeanor. Their chemistry is explosive, which ultimately leads to an unexpected marriage and a chance for an equally unexpected love. And the author does it all with a writing style that is as fresh and unpretentious as her characters.

Jeremy has a painful family past, when is presented here as rather matter-of-fact. He’s stuck with the sins of his father, which he accepts, though he’s not quite sure how to get past it. This was an excellent touch as it allows readers to understand him without making him seem like he’s wallowing in victimhood. Jeremy isn’t exactly opposed to love; he’s just not sure he’d recognize it if it hit him in the face. And now it is up to Lucy to enlighten him...

Intellectually, they are well-matched. Lucy is bright and sharp-witted, and has a great sense of humor. Jeremy’s just as quick-witted, making their conversations a treat for the reader. Seeing them banter and wise crack makes this a very realistic tale as opposed to the fairy tale like quality some stories have.

The secondary characters play out in unexpectedly stereotype-free fashion. Henry is a loving brother, and his neglect of Lucy’s introduction into Society is presented as an oversight as he has little need of Society himself. Sophia could easily have become the villainess, but she and Lucy forge an unexpected friendship. Everywhere you look in this novel, the characters are doing unexpected things.

There is a thin line between humor and flippancy, the author weaves in and out of humor without slipping into flippancy, she makes tragedy seem realistic so that the characters tackle the problem and move on instead of wallowing in it, and the most lovely part of this story is the element of surprise you can never quite guess what they are going to do next!

Lively, funny, with a twist of tragedy and a sizzling love story at the heart of it all! One cannot help but fall a little in love with Jeremy and Lucy.

A 10/10 for Ms. Tessa Dare....eagerly awaiting her next one!

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan

Madame Esmeralda, Jenny Keeble, a fortune teller in London is once visited by Ned, a young lord prone to depressive throes, who walks up to her one fine day and says “Give me one reason why I should not end it all.” Madam Esmeralda cannot see the future, but she wants to save a youth bent on the path of self destruction and hence convinces Ned that his future would be happy. A lie that in addition to lining Madam’s pockets, gives Ned a new hope to live, to make something of himself….And an unlikely friendship develops between the young lord and the fortune teller who cannot tell the future….A friendship that Ned values because it once gave him a reason to live, and one that Madam Esmeralda values simply because she has no friends, no family, no one to call her own.

Two years later….Ned’s cousin Gareth is determined to rescue Ned ….In addition to the distance from ordinary feelings arising from his rank, Gareth Carhart, Marquess of Blakely is a scientist, a man whose entire approach to the world is based on reason and proof.  Thus, when he discovers that his young nephew and heir is in the thrall of a fortune teller, Blakely sets out to demonstrate to Ned that this woman is a fraud.  Ned, firmly believes in Jenny’s prognostication skills and wanting to prove them to Blakely.

Thus they devise a “scientific” test after Jenny predicts that Blakely will meet his future wife at an upcoming ball. Jenny devises a series of tasks for Blakely to complete on the way to finding true love. Thus we have Jenny, Ned and the veracity of fortunetellers on one side, and Blakely and science on the other side. Quite a battle ensues.

Jenny is appalled at Blakely’s determination to unmask her to Ned, not simply because she appreciates the fees but because the young man of nineteen who began to visit her two years earlier was on a path to self-destruction.  Her counsel had convinced Ned that his future would be happy and she is fearful that the sudden discovery that she is a fraud will set him off on a downward spiral. But Blakely refuses to hear her warning, so determined is he to prove Ned that he has been Madame Esmerelda’s dupe.

Blakely’s quest draws Jenny unwillingly into his world and into an effort to thwart his designs.  Blakely can see through her disguise, but Jenny can also see beyond the marquess’  cold façade to the lonely man whose position and personality have kept him from meaningful human contact.  Blakely is shocked to discover his attraction to a woman he knows is a charlatan.  Jenny is surprised that she is drawn to her opponent, both sexually and personally.

Thus we have two very strong characters, both who complete each other emotionally so beautifully and a story full of humor, emotions and a little philosophy to take home. A complete package.
A 8/10. Wonderful weekend read.

This rake of mine by Elizabeth Boyle

Miss Jane Porter, is a teacher at Miss Emery’s establishment for young ladies, a teacher of decorum, who had a fall from grace years ago. Years ago, Miss Porter was Miss Miranda Mabberly….. Miranda Mabberly, a rich London heiress, poised to marry the rich and title Lord Oxley. Although Miranda is repulsed at her betrothal to Lord Oxley, Miranda's wealthy parents regard the upcoming marriage as an entree into society. Fate intervenes when playboy Lord Jack Tremont plants a kiss on Miranda during a night out at the opera in full view of the society mavens. Having mistaken Miranda for his mistress, Jack has unknowingly plunged himself and Miranda into scandal. When Lord Oxley calls off the wedding, Miranda's reputation is in ruins and she is disinherited and abandoned by her parents. With nowhere else to go, Miranda beseeches her former teacher, Miss Emery, for a teaching position at her school for girls in Bath, England. Miss Emery agrees to hire Miranda on the condition that she changes her name to disassociate herself from the scandal involving herself and Lord Tremont. Miranda Mabberly becomes Miss Jane Porter, teacher of decorum.

Lord Jack Tremont, mad Jack, a rake beyond reform regrets one mistake from his ‘rake’ days….Miss Miranda Mabberly, the girl he ruined by kiss, and when he wants to make amends he realizes the girl is dead. Dead. Not even a chance to atone for his sins.

Nine years later,  Lord Jack Tremont arrives at Miss Emery’s school in order to transport his niece back home after she is expelled. There as fates would have it he runs in to a teacher, Miss Jane Porter….. a spinsterish teacher who is hauntingly familiar to him.

Miranda and Jack's worlds collide once again when Miranda escorts via carriage three of her students who are making the trip home to Kent. When a fierce storm forces the women to take refuge at Thistleton Park, a gloomy estate in Sussex, Miranda is shocked to discover that the owner is none other than Lord Jack Tremont. Equally shocked to have Miss Jane Porter and her three young charges as houseguests, Lord Jack attempts to send the women on their way, to no avail. Tremont is all too aware that danger surrounds Thistleton Park, as evidenced by the mysterious disappeareance/presumed death of his elderly aunt. Soon, Miranda discovers that her three charges are playing matchmaker between herself and Lord Tremont. Although Miranda knows that she has no future with a rake like Lord Tremont, she finds herself falling under Jack's spell as danger and intrigue threatens their budding relationship.

Throw into the mix a mad dead aunt, a nosy neighbor determined to hang Jack, a smuggling racquet, all the humor coming of misplaced attempts at matchmaking and you have a thoroughly entertaining story…..It would not be fair to judge the story by the character sketches of hero and heroine, it is the entire mix of secondary character and circumstantial humor and a little of the present – past shuffling that makes this a thorough entertainer. As always Boyle makes you laugh a little all the way to the end. Sort of like watching a romantic comedy like Sweet home Alabama on a Saturday afternoon.

I would give it a 7.5/10. Very very good for a light read but not exceptional.

Not quite a husband by Sherry Thomas

Leo Marsden and Bryony Asquith were childhood acquaintances, growing up on neighboring estates. Bryony was four years older and took little notice of Leo, while he worshipped her from afar.
Leo grew up to become a brilliant mathematician, a golden boy whom society worshipped, and the boy who could have his pick from soceity’s very best.
Bryony followed the difficult path of becoming a female doctor. A female doctor in an age where it was unacceptable for women to have a profession and much harder if she had something as difficult as a medical calling. Bryony, alone, almost ostracized by the society….
And now their paths cross again when Leo is society’s darling golden boy and Bryony is twenty nine and firmly on the shelf. Bryony impulsively asked Leo to marry her. Leo just as impulsively agreed.
And thus begins an impulsive marriage…which is not at all what the other expected and not happy at all…there are no quarrels or arguments or misunderstandings or fits of temper…just stony silences, wooden expressions, bland reactions or rather a total lack of reactions….voids that leave not only Leo but also the reader puzzled,  that what exactly is wrong….why are they so unhappy? Leo couldn’t break through Bryony’s cold-as-ice demeanor in bed, and when she finally asked him for an annulment, he numbly agreed.

Bryony left England to travel, Germany, America and eventually ending up in India.
Leo too has wandered but he always feared what Bryony would do in a strange foreign land. What if she was scared? What if she ran into trouble? What if she needed someone? How would anyone know with her friends and family so far away? So he wanders after her first Germany, then America and at last India, content in the fact that he is near her even if she doesn’t know it.
When in India Leo gets a wire from Bryony’s sister Callista to fetch her sister home….their father is dying….and thus Leo sets out on a groveling journey to the north west frontier of India.
Bryony is shocked to lay her eyes on Leo again, when she hears of the reason for his visit she is instantly suspicious of Callista’s motives, since Callista has fabricated numerous tales to throw Leo and her together and at first refuses to accompany Leo anywhere. At last she reluctantly relents and they set out to a journey to the Indian plains from where Byrony can return to England.
And thus begins a journey inside their minds as well, a journey when the surroundings are in chaos and turmoil as  Leo comes down with malaria, and Bryony  nurses him as they wind their way through the Indian countryside. A journey where and Leo are forced to examine their feelings for one another , to think about chances they have lost and to dream of second chances. A revolt against the British is brewing, and their path becomes treacherous. Caught up in midst of a minor war (the uprising of Swat) both of them come to terms with the fact that each cannot bear to lose the other and they would fall apart if anything happened to either of them.
. Both Bryony and Leo have apologies to make, and they must work to overcome their lack of trust in one another, no matter how hot their physical passion flares. They discover each other and ask themselves if only they can forgive each other and make a new start….if only….
Review – As you must have gathered by now this is not a regency romance, nor of the Napoleonic times….this is one from the period between Independence of America and the first world war. The change of scene is most refreshing. Leo is an easy to love, admire and empathize with hero. My heart went out to him right from the beginning of this book. Bryony though seems a little rude, aloof and unreasonable at the beginning, as the story unfolds, Bryony’s difficult past comes to light and her actions are easier to understand and accept and she makes her own special place in the reader’s heart. The story is not dramatic or full of emotions running high. It is a tale of understanding, acceptance, forgiveness and love that is long lasting, all embracing and enduring.

A 9/10

The Spymaster's lady by Joanna Bourne

Paris 1802,

In a private French prison, Annique Villiers, a French spy, is about to be tortured over "the Albion plans" - Napoleon's secret plans for the invasion of England. Annique's torturer, the sadistic and villainous Leblanc, fully intends to kill her, but not before he gets those papers - which he plans to use to his own advantage.

In the cell with her are Grey, a British Head of Section who has managed to keep his full identity from Leblanc, and his wounded compatriot, Adrian.

Annique and Grey work together to escape. They escape….each for his own reason, Annique must take the plans to her spymaster and teacher Vauban so that they can plan how to stop Napoleon’s madness without betraying France….Grey wants to escape so that he can take Adrian, Annique and the Albion plans to England and stop Napoleon’s madness. Thus Annique has unwittingly escaped from one prison to another. And thus begins Annique’s attempt to escape again, to escape from Grey, to escape from Le Blanc, to escape from Le Blanc’s cruel deputy Henri, to escape from the French patrols scouting the country for her, to escape from Fouche the head of secret police who would like nothing better than to pimp her. But first she has to escape Grey…..Grey who is as good a spy as she is and keeps outwitting her all the time. Grey who is strong but not cruel, who is kind but not foolish, who is going to make a traitor out of her if she can’t escape!

And thus begins this wonderful story of cat and mouse chase, to say more about the plot would be giving it away….So instead I would like to talk about the two characters and how the entire story looks from end to end.

Annique, a blind French spy, Annique is the daughter of spies, been raised from a child to be a spy, and has learned her job well. Though she is just 19, she has worked for France as a boy, and in battlefields and boarding houses for years, earning an impressive reputation and the respect of all members of the spying community - no matter their nationality. Though she’s become blind due to an accident she is as wonderful as two spies, that is four eyes put together. She also has another gift, a wonderful memory, which can file away a lot of information in a very short period in an alarmingly detailed manner. A gift which the French are exploiting. Or to put it better…..a gift which the French “think” that they are exploiting.

Annique does indeed hold the secret of the Albion plans and the knowledge tears her apart. She knows that the invasion cannot succeed and will only cause untold death and devastation, but can she bring herself to give the plans to the enemy English? The fate of all those lives rest solely upon her shoulders, and the weight of her decision is a burden no one should have to bear. Annique is a wholly unique character and a fascinating one. She is incredibly competent and skillful - a believable master spy - and has stunning resourcefulness and resolve.

Grey is a more straightforward English spy, though also frighteningly competent and pragmatic. He has met his match in Annique, however, and it is fun to watch him try and figure her out and stay one step ahead, failing to do so more than once. Grey's real beauty as a character, though, is his steadfastness. He and Annique engage in many battles of wit, lies and deceptions, but there is never any doubt that he loves her throughout. He never jumps to conclusions about Annique's own feelings about him - seeming to know them better than she does herself - but accepts that her lies are part of the spy game. They are each doing their jobs and that includes lying to each other at times, but they also accept that the love is not a lie and cannot be concealed from the other, though at times they wish it could.

Review – And finally some advice. What can make this book a 9/10 or a 5/10 is the expectations that you start reading it with. If you are expecting a romance with a lot of passion, emotional turmoil, heated arguments, unnecessary pride and pouting, the conventional plots of hero not-wanting-to-fall-in-love and-yet-falling, or a marriage of convenience, this book is not for you. Frankly, do not attempt reading it. To those who are still interested, here’s more…..

The strength of this book is the strength of its characters, primary as well as secondary and a well thought out or shall I say a well-plotted fast-paced plot. As funny as it may sound but the writer treats both the story as well as the readers with respect….she assumes both to be intelligent. Annique and Grey are interesting characters, there chase, battles, collaboration and relationship all keep the reader on the edge, with a what will happen next kind of feeling.

 As for the romance in this book Annique and Grey's love is a love of the intellect as well as the body. A meeting of minds as well as the bodies. It's a combination that cannot be beaten and makes this a smart and masterful book.

Rating – If I read it from point of view of a story 9/10….[That is to say that I really really liked this book] .but if you read it from a love story point of view 7.5/10 [That is to say that some may not like this book]

One night for love

Lauren Edgeworth, the perfect bride and countess-to-be, is set to marry her childhood friend, Neville Wyatt, the Earl of Kilbourne. It’s the day all her dreams are going to come true. Her happiness is such that she herself wonders if anyone has the right to be so deliriously happy. And at this very moment of happiness, a tired, disheveled women walks into the church, claiming to be Neville’s wife….Lily.



Lily…Lily, once an innocent little girl, a commoner, the daughter of a soldier in Neville’s company, is secretly in love with him. But knows that Major Lord Newbury (Neville) is far above her reach. So she travels with her father’s company and becomes Major Lord Newbury’s friend and confidante. When her father is injured in battle and dying, Neville promises him that he would look after her daughter, he would marry her. Thus she gets married to the man she has loved for so long and follows their one night of love…one night of love which is a transcendent experience for him as well as her but after she is shot before his eyes in the ambush that leaves him unconscious, he accepts that she is dead. Heartbroken by the loss, when he receives the news of his father’s death Neville returns home to do his duty as the Earl of Neville.



Neville is about to marry his step-cousin Lauren, Lauren whose sweet countenance commands love and affection of any man. Its his wedding today. He is embarking on a future that was planned long ago for him, by his father. Becoming the earl of Kilbourne and marrying his step cousin Lauren, a fate he should not have tried to avoid by running off to join the army. A fate to which life had given him a second chance…A second chance he was not about to let go of….and that’s when Lily walks into the church. Lily, his wife. Lily, his countess. Lily, whose love and innocence was so precious to him and Lily….Lily who was dead. His heart soars with joy on seeing Lily, his Lily, alive. Lily tells him her story, of her journey from the dream-like innocence of their wedding to the ugly, brutality and captivity by the Spanish who kidnapped her when he thought she was dead in the ambush. The Spanish who raped her repeatedly till she had escaped their clutches. But none of this deters Neville from hoping that he and Lily can have a life together.



Unfortunately, building that life will not be easy. Lily, a commoner, is hopelessly out of place at Newbury Abbey. Not only is she a social misfit, but her unfettered love of nature and the intensity of her experiences leave her with little patience for the vapid society that is her husband's birthright. She feels that she can never be worthy of being his countess. In her mind, she is always Lily Doyle….and he is always Major Lord Newbury, and they are happy in their little life together. The Earl of Kilbourne is a stranger to her, a stranger who belongs with someone beautiful, charming, sophisticated and competent as Lauren, not someone illiterate, ignorant and wild as her. As time passes it becomes a question of whether she wants to be another Lauren just to fit in? The question changes from if she will fit in to if she wants to fit in? And that’s when she decides to leave Neville again…..



Neville loves Lily. He loves her as she is. A little wild, ignorant, innocent, untouched by the pretenses the world puts on. And a little because of his selfishness to keep her that way and a lot out of love for her, he doesn’t want her to struggle to keep up with the expectations people have from her….to become the perfect countess…But the expectations, the feeling of failure does get to Lily. Feeling caged, confined and depressed, Lily decides to leave him to make an emotional journey towards her wholeness…alone. Leaving him alone.



The best part about this story is that no character is perfect. There’s Lauren who is so sympathetic to both Neville and Lily, and yet so sad and lonely that it at times makes the reader begrudge Lily her happiness. Lily, whose emotional turmoil brings tears to the eyes and whose emotional triumph makes your insides smile. Neville who sympathizes with Lauren, understands her pain but is in love with Lily. So much in love that he is prepared to go through a life without her….a lifetime of waiting for her to come back to him. And though all these characters have their own imperfections its so difficult not to fall in love with them.



Rich with emotional and historical detail, it is a story of compassion and gravity told with simplicity. Neither is the emotional aftermath or turmoil sensationalized and trivialized. It is simply narrated and it is left to the readers to feel the anguish, the happiness and the triumph of the characters. A romantic tale with the perfect touch of a classic. A perfect 10/10 book.

An unwilling bride by Jo Beverley

The Duke of Belcraven and his beloved wife have been estranged for years, since the birth of her son as a result of a one-night affair. Due to tragic circumstances, the boy, Lucien, is now the heir to the Belcraven title and fortune. While the duke has accepted Lucien as his son, a painful bitterness lingers between him and his still-beloved wife, creating a wall that neither knows how to breach.

One day a messenger arrives. It seems that the duke’s own brief love affair, embarked upon after his wife’s betrayal, resulted in a daughter. The girl is now grown and teaching at a school for young ladies. And the duke, wishing to preserve his bloodline, devises a plan. Lucien will marry Elizabeth, or be disinherited.

The news that he is not only illegitimate but is about to be forced into marriage comes as no small shock to Lucien. His reputation as a reprobate notwithstanding, he had been considering marriage to a society miss. After all, he has Blanche, his actress mistress and friend. Ah well, one woman will do as well as another for a wife. Lucien and the duke embark, separately, to meet Elizabeth.

Miss Beth Armitage is in for a similar shock. The news that the nobleman sitting in the parlor is not only her father but has every intention of forcing her to marry his wife’s son is almost too much to bear. Beth reluctantly agrees to meet Lucien, with a plan to scare him off. Alas, that backfires, and they come to an understanding. They will marry, and do their best to be civil to each other.

And thus starts a courtship and marriage, where Beth tries her best to hate Lucien, and Lucien has all his efforts to be kind and considerate thrown back in his face by his unwilling bride. It is best not to reveal the further plot of this book, as it does not really have much of a plot. Instead I would like to talk about what I liked about the book and what I did not.

It was nice to see a heroine who stood up for equality of women and valued education and independence but at the same time it was heart breaking to see her scared and showing maidenly modesty and being skittish and scared at time. It was nice to see her stand up to her husband but she took the notion of 'standing up' a bit too far. It was nice to see a hero who was a perfect intellectual match for her, but even their verbal sparrings got repetitive and bland after a while. It was nice to see a hero who was initially so kind and considerate despite the circumstances he was forced into, but who later gets violent with the heroine. The worst part was where he strikes her because he suspects her of being with another man! It is easy to understand anguish and temper, frustration and desperation but violence? That too specially against a person you love! How can one ever justify that. That one incident overturned the tone of the story for me. But again it was nice to see that the hero and heroine established a mental companionship before a physical relationship.

The secondary characters were well sketched but a bit too much for the story line. They somehow weighed it down instead of  embelleshing it.

As for a rating I am as confused as the hero and heroine of this book...but may be a 6.5/10

My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth

Caroline Grayson, a third of five beautiful daughters of Baron Sytheford, who is noticeably plain, short and dark as compared to her tall, blonde and beautiful sisters. There is also another problem she is intelligent! And not just intelligent in the feminine, scheming, manipulating way but she possesses real scientific intelligence, the kind which can do complex mathematical equations in her head, and has a profound love for botany. She sends her findings to Oxford university in hopes of getting recognition and a chance to further her quest for knowledge but she receives a reply, which asks her to get married and grow plants to please her husband, and now it seems that is what she must do!

Brent Ravenscroft, the Earl of Weymerth, wants his prized Arabian horses back. The horses that his cousin sold to Baron Sytheford, and the price he must pay for them is outrageous! He must marry the baron’s plain and saucy daughter Caroline. Brent is furious to have to marry a plain spinster in her mid twenties, but all he wants to do after the horrors of war is to start a new life again. A life in which he wants to breed horses, have a home, a wife and a heir and on contemplation he finds that this bargain suits him just fine!

After the rejection from Oxford, Caroline has applied to the University of Columbia, America and this time as a man. She has all her plans in place, when she learns of the deal her father has struck with Lord Weymerth. Initially she is enraged but later she realizes that she could marry the earl and later asks for an annulment and thus she could be free to pursue her dreams.

Thus begins a relationship between Brent and Caroline. Or let us say thus begins a conflict, a brilliant scientist unable to achieve her goals because of her gender wanting to avoid marriage, proud aristocrat furious at the circumstances that have saddled him with an unwanted wife. Are they attracted to each other? They long, they burn, they abstain and thus they create one of the best stories I have read in a long time.

Caroline, is baffled by her husband. The man who on one hand adores her so and entrusts her with his finances of all things. A man who admires her skills with the garden and yet has never told her about his green house. Oh and incidentally the man has also forgotten to tell her that he has a sister and also an illegitimate daughter! A man who is full of surprises and yet who is also full of gentle consideration and may be love. A man whom she could fall in love with, or rather a man for whose love she might give up her love for botany.

Brent, has married Caroline just to get a wife and a heir. But as he comes to know her better he realizes he has also found a companion, a friend, a partner, who meets him on all planes physical, mental and emotional. A woman he could begin to love. If only she didn’t love botany more than him.


The strength of the book is the strength of character of Brent and Caroline, their gradual understanding of each other and their acceptance of each other. Even their arguments, conflicts and misunderstandings are so passionate that it makes a wonderful read. It is the kind of book where you sympathize with every one’s point of view, you cannot squarely lay the blame on any one of them and you as a reader long for them to make up and live happily ever after. A wonderful wonderful book with a wonderful little secret bundled up in the epilogue which come as a surprise.

A definite 9.5/10

The Wedding Gamble by Julia Justiss

The Wedding Gamble is a marriage of convenience story. The hero, Nicholas Stanhope, Marquess of Englemere is a widower. Most people think that he is still mourning his wife, Lydia, and for that reason has not sought a new bride. In fact, Lydia betrayed Nicholas and he would happily remain single. Then, his younger brother tragically drowns and Nicholas must seek a new wife for the sake of the succession.

On the eve of his betrothal ball to the beauteous Clarissa Beaumont, Nicholas is subjected to his fiancee's raging temper for the first time. Her friend, Sarah Wallingford, who is a guest of the Beaumonts, seeks to smooth over the situation with her calm good sense. Nicholas soon realizes that Miss Wallingford is the competent voice of reason in the Beaumont household. He is intrigued by this woman who is the antithesis of the high strung Clarissa.

Nicholas soon discovers that Sarah has come to London to snare a wealthy husband. Her gambler father had left the family deeply in debt and, unless she can find a man willing to pay off the nearly £10,000 mortgage on the family estate, the family will lose its home. Unfortunately, Sarah has caught the attention of the unsavory but very wealthy Sir James Findley. Findley has already reputedly driven two wives to suicide and Sarah is well aware of his sadistic proclivities. But she is willing to sacrifice herself for her family's sake.
When another flight of temper leads Clarissa to break off their engagement, Nicholas concludes that Sarah would make him the perfect wife. And so he offers her a marriage of convenience. He doesn't want passion and romantic love in his second marriage. He wants the friendship and respect he feels for Sarah. She, of course, gratefully accepts.
But there is no sudden and swift recognition that the hero and heroine have found true love after all. There are numerous problems that the two have to work through. There is Nicholas' beautiful mistress who would dearly love to continue the connection and for whom Nicholas feels a certain loyalty. There is the neighbor Sarah loved but could not marry because of their families' financial woes. He arrives too late to prevent the marriage but clearly still loves his childhood sweetheart. Nor is Sinjin a cipher, but rather a real potential threat to the marriage. And lurking in the background there is the evil Sir James who, balked of his prey, is more than willing to cause problems for the newlyweds.

Sarah is a most admirable heroine. She is intelligent, capable, loyal and, above all, honorable. Whatever her feelings for her lost love, she will be a good and faithful wife. That she responds so passionately to her husband is the first indication that her feelings for him run deeper than mere gratitude, liking and respect.

Nicholas too is a very lovable hero. He is strong, dependable and passionate. But at the same time he is understanding, intuitive and concerned about the feelings of his wife. He values her opinions and friendship and treats her like an equal partner in everything he does. He understands her fear and insecurities and helps her conquer them.

There have been many incidents in the book which have been potrayed very beautifully. The return of Sinjin, and the fears, doubts and insecurities that it brings to both Sarah and Nicholas are very beautifully worded. And what is even more admirable is the fact that inspite of all these insecurities Nicholas and Sarah are able to maintain a caring and loving relationship, understanding each other and not jumping to conclusions.

The highlight of the book for me is the part where Sarah suffers the miscarriage. Sarah’s feelings that she has failed Nicholas and her fear that she has fallen in love with him touches my heart. But what makes me almost cry is Nicholas concern for Sarah and the helplessness he feels when he cannot comfort her, his hurt when she pushes him away and shuts him out.

The secondary characters Sinjin, Clarissa, Nicholas’ friends Hal and Ned, Lord Wexley, and Sally Jersey are also very well sketched,

This is  a definite 9.5 / 10 book!

Wedding Gamble (Harlequin Historical Series)

Knight Miscellany series by Gaelen Foley

Knights of Miscellany follows the loves of Knight family the children of the Duchess of Hawkscliffe also known as the Hawkscliffe Harlot…Georgiana the Duchess of Hawkscliffe is known for her infidelities…and this series follows the lives of her two legitimate children and four bastards…each of which is fighting a battle with themselves within their souls….

The series starts with….

The Duke that follows the life of the Duchess’s only legitimate son… the mysterious and coolly controlled head of the clan, Robert, the Duke of Hawkscliffe…

Find the review at The Romance Reader: The duke by Gaelan Foley

Next come the twins, the sons of the Duchess and the marquess of Carmarthen…the marquess who was may be the duchess’ true love and who loved the duchess so much that he never himself married…The next two books follow his sons…the twins…

Lord of Fire – follows the sly and sexy spy twin Lucien…
 Review at The Romance Reader: Lord of fire by Gaelan Foley

Lord of ice – follows the deadly and highly decorated war hero twin Damien…
 Review at  The Romance Reader: Lord of ice by Gaelen Foley

Lady of desire – follows the duchess second legitimate child and only daughter… The Knight brothers’ spunky sister Jacinda Knight who brings another bad boy into the family
 Review at The Romance Reader: Lady of desire by Gaelen Foley



Then follows Devil takes a bride where Jacinda’s best friend, lady’s companion, and honorary Knight “sister” Lizzie a bookish bluestocking is hotly pursued by a decadent, aristocratic adventurer.

 Review at The Romance Reader: Devil takes a bride by Gaelen Foley



The rakehell Alec…the son of the Duchess and a theater actor…lives on the edge in One night of sin.

Review at -The Romance Reader: One night of sin by Gaelen Foley

In His wicked kiss… wild Jack, the son of the duchess and an Irish prize fighter…the black sheep of the family, is running guns for South America freedom fighters..
Review at - The Romance Reader: His wicked kiss by Gaelen Foley

Reading the Knight series was such a wonderful experience…I liked Lucien’s story (Lord of Fire) best of all though I like Jack the best of all the knight brothers…out of the heroines I liked Alice (Lucien’s wife) and Lizzie the best.

His wicked kiss by Gaelen Foley

Dr. Victor Farraday, botantist, scientist, and a physician once upon a time resides in the jungle of the Amazon in self exile…banishing himself from civilization and imposing the same punishment on his daughter…Eden Farraday.

Eden Farraday stays in the jungles of Amazon with her grief stricken absent minded Papa, a small contingent of locals, and Connor their hunter and protector. In the middle of the Amazon jungles she dreams of London and the sparkle of society and balls and handsome town dandies that will court her and dance with her. And of all her dreams…she dreams the most of finding love…she was not made for the jungle…She was made for love…

So when Victor tells her that they're moving deeper into the jungles, toward certain death, Eden is desperate to make an escape…An escape that comes walking or rather sailing to her as Jack Knight…

Jack, pirate, privateer, terror of the West Indies…and the black sheep of the Knight family…is sailing down the river with a small crew to meet up with his ship, the Winds of Fortune, off the coast out of the Spaniards reach…when he spots a beguiling and gorgeous creature with red flaming hair sitting up in the trees snipping orchids. A girl with courage and spunk…sort of like his perfect other half…but when he realizes she wants him to take her to London…he leaves her behind and goes on….

However determined as Eden is she stows away on Jack’s ship and thus a romance begins…a romance where both the hero and heroine treat each other with so much respect and love …where Eden understands how difficult life’s been for Jack being the bastard of an Irish prize fighter…having a mother who was ashamed of him and a father who never wanted him…Jack who had to bear the ire, the insults of society for what he was…for no mistake of his own…a society that denied him even a little self-respect…Jack who was unwanted unloved…Jack who shut civilization out of him…Jack who thought the only way to show them all was to do what they with all their blue blood and legitimacy and stupid airs and even money couldn’t do…Jack who had to try twice as hard to become who he was..and yet he was so lonely…and Eden…who was ‘sheltered’ from civilization, Eden who all her life has just wanted someone of her own to love…someone who needed her…needed to be loved by her…who loved her...how could make her feel that after all her exile she had finally found her world…Someone like Jack ….A marriage based on equal terms equal needs and equal respect and admiration….

A story that was turning out to be one of my very favorites….and then….disaster stuck both literally and figuratively…Jack wants to leave Eden in Ireland and go finish his business in London and South America…however Eden is angry that Jack is being as unreasonable as her father and is keeping her caged and away from civilization, She fails to see Jack’s insecurity…Jack’s fear that society would treat her as they had treated him…she would be insulted because of him…She would be rejected and She would be hurt all because of him…He didn’t want to see her hurt…this is where I dislike what Eden becomes…whiny, unreasonable, stubborn, and always complaining….and the story just goes down the drain when they go to London….I hated the tantrum that Eden threw kicking Jack out of her bed…She really went unreasonably overboard and sort of ruined the image that she had built in my mind in the first half of the book.

Well for Jack…hard yet sensitive, driven yet uncomplicated someone whose logic or reason you could easily understand… and may be empathize with…and for Eden’s character in first half of the book this would be a 7/10 book but…Jack and Eden…I liked you better on the ship…than in London ;) A 6.5/10

One night of sin by Gaelen Foley

Becky Ward has run away from her home after witnessing a murder. The man responsible is her cousin, the half-English, half-Russian Prince Mikhail, recently come to England to claim the earldom of his English grandfather. He has brought with him his own private army of Cossacks who terrorize the local village. Becky does what she can, but is no match for the ruthless Mikhail, who has promised to bring the outspoken Becky to heel through ravishment. Becky has been four days on the run and on the road from her Yorkshire home to London to find the Duke of Westland, her county's magistrate, knowing that no one of lesser stature could bring Mikhail to justice.

In London, she takes refuge from the rain on a mansion's portico, falling asleep only to be found by Lord Alec Knight and his cohorts. They take her for a prostitute, and though she holds her own and escapes them…..

Alec….Alec has recently been reexamining his life. A gambler whose funds were cut off by his frustrated family, he turned to moneylenders with predictable results. In order to escape, he became a kept man, allowing Lady Campion to pay his debts in exchange for sex. His actions lost him the love of the only woman he could picture himself marrying and since her marriage to another he has been restless, edgy, bored with life and disgusted with himself. Till one night he comes across a whore on the portico of his friend’s mansion…a whore who exudes an air of courage and vulnerability, does not bore him…whom he takes home for a night.
Becky, tired, hungry, Cossacks on her heels, knowing that she will likely be caught and returned to a brutal rape at the hands of Mikhail, decides to spend the night in safety with Alec and lose her virginity to a man of her choosing. They spend a passionate night together where each surprised by the other’s tenderness, kindness and intensity of feelings is a little in love with the other…a ‘little’ love that both are scared of…Becky  that Mikhail will not hesitate to kill Alec, if he finds out that Alec means anything to her…and hence for Alec she leaves the next morning without a word…But Alec follows her and realizes what danger she is in….He fights the Cossacks…and asks her to tell him everything….

Becky entrusts Alec with all her knowledge…and on learning of Becky’s situation and courage she exudes….Alec feels the overwhelming need to protect her…Alec the gambler, Alec the fop, Alec the seducer, Alec the rake….becomes Alec the protector…Keeping Becky safe becomes the purpose of his life…..

But as all Knight brothers do…Alec too has a darkness inside him…the darkness of his tainted past…a past that he at times wants to keep from Becky lest he lose her respect or her love…and a past that at times makes him so guilty that he feels he will lose her if he doesn’t tell her…his compulsive gambling habits and the subsequent losing of his self respect too when he becomes a kept man to Lady Campion….or his trying to win back Lizzie from Strathmore…everything keeps on hounding it…and the only penance he thinks he can do is help Becky get her village back…and bring Mikhail to justice. For which he decides to do what he can do the best….Gamble….

Review  Sadly out of all the Knight brothers I liked Alec least of all. For one thing he never had a purpose in life....perhaps this was his biggest problem throughout the series but he just sounds the male equivalent of a ‘too stupid to live’ TSTL heroine…Becky comes across as a way better character than him and I feel a little sorry she had to settle from someone as indecisive, stupid and so full of himself as Alec….Alec’s transformation from the cynical hedonist to the knight protector in shining armour is hasty and kind of hard to believe…there is so much needless guilt wallowing involved in this story that it made me sick…and I did not sort of agree with the idea of winning back Becky’s village through gambling again…somehow Foley failed to convince me of Alec’s reformation.

On the other hand I so admired Becky…she was confident, practical, honest, realistic about her expectations from Alec, She didn't jump to conclusions, she faced things head on, and didn't let herself , or Alec, take the easy way out. She was just like I like my heroes to be. I liked the part where she confronts Lady Campion…what courage…and what confidence…Becky lifted up my spirits as Alec let me down…she sort of motivated me to finish the book….

So for Becky this book deserves a 5/10…..but skip it if you get bored somewhere in between….

Devil takes a bride by Gaelen Foley

In the quiet English countryside, far from the intrigues of London, Lizzie Carlisle slowly mends her broken heart, devoting herself to her new position as lady’s companion to the Dowager Viscountess Strathmore—until her peaceful life is turned upside down by a visit from “Devil” Strathmore, the old woman’s untamed nephew—a dangerously handsome man whose wicked reputation hides a tortured soul.


Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore, has spent years adventuring on the high seas, struggling to make his peace with the tragedy that claimed the lives of his family. But now he has uncovered the dark truth behind the so-called accident and swears retribution.

He has no intention of taking a bride—until his eccentric aunt’s will forces him and Lizzie together, and Devlin finds his path to vengeance blocked by the stubborn but oh-so-tempting Miss Carlisle.

Her passionate nature rivals his own, but disillusioned once by love, Lizzie will accept nothing less than his true devotion....Can love overcome the thirst for revenge? Can it heal self inflicted wounds of guilt?

Review - I was expecting this to be Alec's and Lizzie's story, a happily ever after for a long time love, but I was pleasantly surprised. One has to just meet Dev to know why Alec is so wrong for Lizzie. The differences and similarities between the characters of Dev and Alec are so subtly potrayed, that at one time both seem too heroic and at the other both seem like morons :) The feuding between them and the constant competing for Lizzie's affection lends a humorous twist to a tragic and violent story.

A 7/10 for sketching so many wonderful characters.

Devil Takes a Bride

Lady of desire by Gaelen Foley

Lady of desire by Gaelen Foley
           Impetuous Lady Jacinda Knight is the daughter of a scandalous woman. Though society predicts she'll follow in her mother's footsteps, the spirited beauty stands unashamed of her passionate nature. Then one night, in flight from a safe but loveless marriage arranged by her strict older brother, Jacinda finds herself alone on a dark and dangerous street face-to-face with Billy Blade, the notorious leader of a band of thieves. His stolen kisses awaken in her a longing for a man she can never possess.
           A handsome scoundrel running from a secret past, Billy Blade has never met a woman like Jacinda-her fiery innocence and blossoming sensuality set his rebel's heart ablaze. Having turned his back on the privilege and power of his tyrannical father's house years before, he vows to return to his rightful place and reclaim his title, Earl of Rackford-to win the love of the ravishing beauty who has stolen his heart . . .

Review - The story has a change of scene from post-war trauma and ball rooms of london to the streets of london. The change of scene is refreshing. However the gravity that was there in books uptil now is lost in this one....the change of Billy from a street gangster to a polished lord is unbelievable, hasty and shabbily told. His insecurity, his feeling of being unloved by anyone that makes him needy and at times desperate for Jacinda's love. But at times in the story the neediness and desperation starts to look more like grovelling! The reconciliation between Billy and his father is also hasty and very unrealistic. Character of Jacinda ia strong but a bit flighty and proud. Highlight of this book for me however is not related to either Billy or Jacinda...it is the small sneak preview of Alec's and Lizzie's story which looks to be more promising. Looking forward to that. Meanwhile for this one....6/10

Lady of Desire

Lord of ice by Gaelen Foley

Damien, twin of Lucien, is a Peninsular war hero who is now the owner of a dilapidated estate. He is tormented by flashback dreams of battle scenes that make him somewhat violent and unaware of his surroundings. Terrified that he might injure a woman during one of these episodes, Damien has held himself apart from love. No sooner has Damien sequestered himself away in the country than he receives notice that a close friend has died and left him the guardianship of a young girl. Damien decides to pay a visit to his new ward before deciding what to do with her.

Miranda FitzHubert is an illegitimate orphan, residing in a bleak girls’ school run by a minister who likes fondling - and flogging - young girls. She sneaks out at night to join a local acting troupe on the stage, where she enthralls the audience with her singing. While stealing back to the school, she is approached by a handsome man who apparently thinks she’s a lightskirt. Miranda evades him but is set upon by thugs, whereupon the stranger comes to her rescue. Miranda runs, but looks back in time to see her rescuer kill several men with his bare hands.

Miranda, of course, is Damien’s new ward, much older than he anticipated. Damien decides to take Miranda to London and install her with his family, but she attempts to escape him and return to the school to save one of the younger girls. The truth comes out, and Damien dispatches the minister and headmistress with quick efficiency, earning himself Miranda’s undying devotion. She falls headlong in love with him and decides she’ll help him overcome his dark side. Damien, of course, is having none of it, no matter how attracted he is to the woman he first mistook for a whore.

The premise of this novel has been “borrowed” from Cathy Sova’s blog. For I felt no one could capture the story better than she has. So here I will just attach a small note of my own.

Note –
If you thought Lucien knight (the hero of the previous book in the series) had the most severe darkness inside him, created by the spying, the treachery that he was forced to do for his country, it will come as a surprise to you that how much darker is the soul of a man who fought directly on the battlefield….the soul of Damien. The way the post war trauma eating up Damien’s soul has been sketched is heart breaking. He’s sure his going insane…sure that he will end up like a mad animal, wild, dangerous to others and not in control of himself. The portrayal of struggle of Damien is the second best part of this book…How he needs Miranda’s love and yet how he fights against his own feelings…fearing he will injure Miranda in one of his fits of mad rage. The character of Miranda though comes across a bit weak and terrified in the beginning and her metamorphosis into the woman who makes Damien open up his soul and pour out the terrifying war experiences is a bit too unbelievable. Ms. Foley could have sketched this character better. The secondary character of Miranda’s cousin Crispin is also interestingly done.

Now to my favorite part of the book…It comes after where most stories end…a happily ever after, after the happily ever after. After Miranda and Damien are married and settle down in their country house reveling in the joy life has offered to them, basking in the glory of the future that they are building for themselves…when Napoleon escapes Elba, and a war breaks out again. A war to which Damien should go. A war to which Miranda doesn’t want to send him, fearing he will lose Damien to the war again. A choice that both of them should make, whether to stay content watching a war that needs him or overcoming the fear of it all and going back to the Battle of Waterloo. This last part and Damien’s superb character makes this book an interesting read. I still feel character of Miranda could have been done better. The highlight of the book for me is how Damien not only conquers his fears but also soundly defeats it forever creating that happily ever after, after the happily ever after.
7/10…Just for you Damien

Lord of fire by Gaelan Foley

Lord of fire by Gaelan Foley

Lord Lucien Knight…a man who lives in a fortress of sin, whose parties lure the most notorious members of the ton, where he carefully lays the trap for his enemies, a cunning spy out to get his enemy to settle old scores and avenge the death of an old friend.

Alice Montague, beautiful, innocent country girl, all she wants is to keep her promise to her dead brother to look out for his wife and son. For this reason alone she goes in search of her sister-in-law. A search that leads her to the Lord Lucien….

Under the pretense of all the sin, Lucien is just a lonely boy, the boy who was always “the other one” when his twin Damien was everyone’s favorite. The boy grew up into a man, who still needed to prove to himself and to the world that he was as good as his twin. The man who sacrificed not only his reputation but also his soul for his country. A man who is so engulfed by the darkness of it all, that he wants to grab one ray of light that he sees. One ray, that his soul tells him, is capable of drawing him out of all his shadows. Alice. One ray of light which can wash out all the darkness inside him and lead him to a bright future. To that happy forever.

When Alice first meets Lord Lucien she is disgusted by his lack of morals. His blackmailing that forces her to stay for a week with him. But as she gets to know him better she starts seeing through his pretenses. She sees a man tormented by his own choices. A man starved of love. A man longing to be held in someone’s affection. A man she falls in love with. But a man refusing to give her one thing she wants….trust.

Thus Gaelan Foley weaves this tale of darkness and light. Of how everyone, even the most hardened by life, needs love. Love that touches the soul. A beautiful tale. A definite 9/10.

The duke by Gaelan Foley

The duke by Gaelan Foley

Premise
Robert Knight, the duke of Hawksville is a paragon, above reproach and of impeccable morals. When his lady love dies Hawk is prepared to go to any lengths to avenge her death. Even if it means engaging in a scandalous affair with London’s most provocative courtesan, La Belle Hamilton.

La Belle Hamilton,the self assured demirep, an enchantress out to charm the city’s titled gentleman in reality is nothing but a lonely woman Belinda struggling to put together the pieces of her life. She needs a protector, so she accepts Hawk’s invitation to become his mistress in name only. He asks nothing of her body, but seeks her help in snaring the same man who shattered her virtue.

Together they tempt the unforgiving wrath of society — Hawk with his diplomacy and influence in Parliament and Bel with her sparkling wit and zeal for reform.

But alls not well as it looks, their risky charade turns into a dangerous attraction, an attraction that cannot be denied, and yet cannot be forged into a relationship.

Hawk must choose between desire, love, duty and responsibility. What should he do? Bow down to the dictates of society and let go of the only woman who makes him happy? Or give her the second place to his ambition and social standing?

Bel too must make a devastating decision that could ruin her….A Last chance to hold onto her self respect, a Last chance to seek love or last chance to gain the respect of the man that she loves. . . .or settle for a small piece of himself that he offers..and give up her last semblance of self respect in return?

My Comments
This is the first book of this author that I have read. What I like most about her style of writing is the way that she handles the rolling out of the story. She slowly peels away the layers of boring looking characters to reveal the most enthralling characters. Characters that you slowly fall in love with, as you begin to understand their pain, their anguish, then you begin sympathizing with them and later empathizing with them. The emotional anguish of characters is so well potrayed that I could almost feel their moods.

The downside of it, the tale drags a bit in places and somehow the character of Hawk seems a bit prudish in the beginning and too liberal in the end. The transformation though has been beautifully sketched, seems a bit unreal to be true. But a charming story nonetheless. I would give it a 8/10

The Rake By Suzanne Enoch

The Rake
Lessons in love series - Book one
By Suzanne Enoch

Lady Georgiana Halley and Tristan Carroway, viscount dare have an interesting history. Six years ago, Georgia gave her heart to Tristan only to realize that he was wooing her because of some wager made over her stocking. Feeling betrayed, tricked and heartbroken she nurtures a hatred for lord dare. When she and her friends decide to give some men 'lessons in love', Georgia decides to show lord dare how it feels to have ones heart broken. He would never again treat a woman the way he treated her...she would make sure he made a good husband to miss amelia johns, whom he is courting. A very simple plan that involves making him fall in love with her, breaking his heart and walking away. But simple plans are always anything but simple...

Tristan Carroway won a wager 6 years ago but he lost a lot in the process which the world doesn’t know about. The only memento he has of that is the stocking of the lady. And now she is back staying under his roof and he is likely to repeat the same mistakes again...only this time he is not letting it and her go. To have her love he must earn her trust...which he has already betrayed once.Will Georgia’s heart trust him again?

Review - A beautifully written tale with an interesting love-hate relationship between the hero and the heroine. The highlight of the book for me was the reformation of Tristan, the rake for the woman he loves. The part where he tears up the book at White's is my favorite. There is also an interesting mix of secondary characters thrown in like the aunties, the duke of Wycliffe, the Carroway brothers and Miss Amelia Johns. The climax is a bit bawdy but funny nonetheless. A perfect opener for a series already looking forward to the next one. A definite 9/10

One night of Passion - Elizabeth boyle.

One night of Passion - Elizabeth boyle.
At London's Notorious Cyprian Ball...
Georgianna Escott has one night to find the perfect man to ruin her and leave her with a tattered reputation so she can escape an arranged marriage to an aging, despicable roué. With a misstep, she tumbles into the arms of the disgraced and dashing Lord Danvers. But Georgie doesn't know that the lover she has enticed to follow her into the night and the stranger she holds responsible for her misfortunes are one in the same...

A Dangerous Night of Seduction..
When Lord Danvers finds himself entangled with a tempting Cyprian, his secret mission to expose a dangerous spy goes awry. Yet once he starts to unmask this bewitching lady, he realizes the seductress who claims his heart may be the traitor he seeks. Mistrust makes them adversaries in a perilous game-but how can he dismiss his obsession with her when one night of passion entwined their lives forever?

Review - a wonderful wonderful read that has all the elements in the "just right" amount. A 9/10

Once Tempted – Elizabeth Boyle

Once Tempted – Elizabeth Boyle,Danvers family tree
The story is set in 1812…England is at war with France with brave men fighting Napoleon under the guidance and leadership of Wellington.

London 1805, a brave an intelligent woman Miss Olivia Sutton is in love with Robert, the Marquis of Bardstone. However Bardstone has a different plan for her in mind. In the library of a peer one evening he appeals to her for help…he promises her a lifetime of happiness together if she can do one thing for him…translate a missive from a French agent working for Napoleon..she should do it not only for their future but also for her duty towards the king and the country..However as she begins to translate the note Olivia realizes the note holds the secret of “El Rescate del Rey” a sought after Spanish treasure.A treasure Lord Bardstone wants for his own greed..a treasure that belongs to the people of Spain..As she finishes translating the missive Bardstone puts a pistol to her..she is of no more use to him and a party to his secret..however the “French agent” yanks the pistol in a different direction and in an attempt to save her..the pistol misfires and kills him..In his dying moments he entrusts Olivia with the missive, a ring and a message “Give this to no one but Hobbes”.

Seven years later –

Olivia -
Olivia Sutton is hiding..behind a false identity..she was accused of a murder she never committed..Bradstone stole her heart and ruined her life, it was only justice that he drowned and died a few days after that horrible evening. Olivia is finally begin to feel a sense of security.But the scoundrel has returned: more handsome, more serious, more desirable… and far more dangerous than the cad who brought scandal and shame into Olivia's world.Fuelled by feeling of revenge and desire for justice that she deserves Olivia sets out to seek this man and establish her innocence once and for all..

Major Robert Danvers is living a lie—but for a noble cause. Masquerading as his cousin, the late Bradstone, Robert's secret mission for the crown has led him straight to the beautiful, scheming seductress he believes was responsible for his brother's death, Olivia Sutton. But there is a gentle innocence about this Olivia that belies her murderous reputation..Yet she killed his brother…

Will Olivia see through Bradstone? Will she find the revenge, the justice she has wanted for years? Will she ever be able to find the mysterious “Hobbes” and repay the man who sacrificed his life for saving her? ….

Will Roberts be ever able to forget the Olivia killed his brother?....Will he ever trust her enough even to ask her the truth? Is she just a duty to him or more? Who is she....A murderess who killed an innocent youth for greed and wealth or a victim of someone else’s avarice..? A traitor or a true patriot? A scheming seductress or an intelligent, loving and passionate woman?

Review – The answers to all the above questions and more are revealed in a fantastic manner in the book…It is a well written well paced story...that makes you feel you are almost there watching it all happen…The emotional turmoil of the characters is so so well potrayed and yet the fabric of mystery, thrill and intrigue..never goes slack anywhere in the story..A thoroughly gripping story one you cannot put down once you start reading it. A definite 9.5/10 almost 10/ 10 J

A GENTLEMAN'S HONOR by Stephanie Laurens

Bastion Club 01 A GENTLEMAN'S HONOR
The Season has yet to begin, and the second member of the Bastion Club, tall, handsome Anthony Blake, Viscount Torrington, is already a target for every matchmaking mama in London. None of their flighty daughters can fix his interest, but a certain lady does...

Alicia is living a deception. Desperation has caused the determined by penniless lady to boldly launch her ravishing younger sister into the ton to have her make a spectacular match. By masquerading as the widowed "Mrs. Carrington" Alicia can act as chaperone...but fashionable ladies are not accused of murder...

When Tony Blake discovers Alicia standing over a dead body in his godmother's garden, every instinct tells him she is innocent. His connections allow him to take control of the investigation, his social prominence provides her public support, but it is more than honor that compels him to protect her and to do everything in his seductive power to make her his.

Review -
A masterful blend of romance, murder and intrigue. Again an intelligent hero who in no way overpowered or overshadowed in anyway by the hero. The hero a perfect blend of passion and sensitivity..and the plot just keeps you on your toes throughout.

A definite 8/10

Captain Jack's woman by Stephanie Laurens

Bastion Club 00 Captain Jack's woman
A leader of the smuggling gang..and a "properly" bred Lady..(so Kit thinks) or a gentleman and the illegitimate grandchild of a baron..(so Jack thinks) entangled in a relationship that according to them has no future..no tomorrow only the today..the seizing of the moment and living it to the fullest. Both of them are revelling in this temporal bliss. However Jack realizes that Kit indeed is the legitimate Miss Cranmer.

When she is shot by a revenue officer..Jack takes her home, tends to her all the time his heart in a vise-like grip at the thought, the fear of losing her. To protect her from the officer he tells everyone they are to get married. Kit heals and discovers that the smuggler "Jack" "Lord Hendon" the high commissioner of revenue and the man the grandes dames of the town had set sites on for her husband. The man she wantonly loved as Jack..is Lord Hendon..one man on both sides of the law. They get married and what comes next forms the crux of the story from my point of view.

Kit married Lord Hendon for love..But she wonders does he love her? With his smuggling escapades still continuing..She wonders why he does that? Doesnt he trust her enough to explain? Why his sudden urge to chain her wilder side..the nighttime smuggling, riding in breeches..wasnt that an integral part of the woman he fell in love with?

Jack marries Kit..but wonders what it would take to keep her safe and out of harm's way..though he loves the wild side of her too the thought of losing her is scary..He cannot tell her what he is involved in, partly out of sense of duty for his country and partly because if she knew..she would be by his side trying to keep him safe and putting her .."a part of him" at risk. How complicated could a marriage based on love get?

Review -
An alpha male hero nicely complemented by a spirited and intelligent heroine. Makes one relish all the adventurous moments one spends with Young kit and captain jack one also enjoys the dilemmas of Lord and Lady Hendon about trust, love and marriage. A potent blend of adventure, desire and the finer details of "love". A gripping read hard to put down once you have started.

rating 9/10

A rogue's proposal by Stephanie Laurens

Bar Cynster - 04- A rogue's proposal
Demon Cynster has seen love bring his brethren to their knees, and he's vowed that he will not share their fate...until he spies Felicity Parteger sneaking about his racing stable. Demon remembers Felicity as a mere chit of a girl, but now she stands before him - begging for his help - all lush curves, sparkling eyes...and so temptingly worthy of the love he's vowed never to surrender to any woman.

Felicity knew Demon was one of the ton's most eligible bachelors and a rogue of the worst sort, but he was the only one capable of getting her friend out of trouble. Her fascination with Demon had nothing to do with the power lurking just beneath his devil-may-care facade - or with the desire that flares when he takes her in his arms. Felicity knows Demon will never yield her the love she desperately seeks, but could a marriage of passion alone - even with a man like Demon - be enough?

review - a thrilling tale of love and adventure. the mystery plot though secondary is nicely interwoven with the main story. potrayal of feelings and emotions is flawless. The desperation of Demon due to social strictures and innocence of Flick have been beautifully penned. a definite 7.5/10

Scandal's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Bar Cynster - 03 -Scandal's Bride
Summary
"He will father your children..."

When Catriona Hennessy, honorable Scottish Lady of the Vale, received this prediction, she was exceedingly aghast. How could she unite with a rake like Richard Cynster--a masterful man with a scandalous reputation? More shocking still was her guardian's will that decreed she and Richard be wed within a week! Though charmed by his commanding presence, and wooed by his heated kisses, she would not--could not--give up her independence.

So she formed a plan to get the heir she needed without taking wedding vows.Richard was just as stunned by the will's command. Marriage had not previously been on his agenda, but lately he'd been feeling rather...restless. Perhaps taming the lady was just the challenge he needed. But can he have the rights of the marriage bed without making any revealing promises of love?

Review
- A welcome change from London as this novel is set in the rustic lowlands. Well not much of a mysters in there but what makes this one so beautiful is its simplicity and the unfolding of emotions of the characters. Seeing the entire Cynster brood together for a few chapters is a heartening sight. All in all a wonderful read. I would definitely give it a 7/10

A rake's vow by Stephanie Laurens

Bar Cynster 02 A rake's vow
He vowed he'd never marry:
Vane Cynster always knew which way the wind was blowing, and it was headed in a marrying direction. The other Cynster men might not mind stepping up to the altar, but Vane never wanted to be leg-shackled to any woman, no matter how comely. Bellamy Hall seemed like the perfect place to temporarily hide from London's husband hunters. But when he encountered irresistilbe Patience Debbington, Vane realized he'd met his match and soon he had more than seduction on his mind.

She vowed no man would catch her:
Patience wasn't about to succumb to Vane's sensuous propositions. Yes, his kisses left her dizzy; his caresses made her melt; but he was arrogant, presumptuous...and, despite his protests, bound to be unfaithful, just like every other man. Patience had promised herself that she'd never become vulnerable to a broken heart. But was this one vow that was meant to be broken?

Review-Stephenie Laurens seems to alternate between novels. Though this one has a good potrayal of emotions the mystery element is stretched out and boring. However the insight into Vane's mind and the process of Patience changing her mind make the novel interesting...but nothing as compared to Devil's bride.

Rating - 6.5/10 (debatable and open to comment)

The Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Bar Cynster - 01 - Devil's Bride
By Stephenie Laurens
The story follows the son of Sebastian and Helena Sylvester Cynster known as "That Devil Cynster" or simply the devil and Honoria Prudence Anstruther Weatherby.

When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire ton by offering his hand in marriage.

But Honoria wasn't about to bend to society's demands and marry a man just because they'd been found together unchaperoned. No. She craved adventure. She was set on seeing the world.

Solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin Tolly fit the bill for a while, but once the crime was solved, Honoria was set on seeing the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?

Review -
A gripping read right from the start. The element of mystery and romance has been nicely intertwined and carried thorugh till the end. Well-paced and intriguing from start to finish..it is a definite improvement over the first part. The hero again is an alpha male but his emotions as well as those of the heroine have been well potrayed.

I would rate it a 8/10...(debatable and open to comment) :-)

The Promise in a kiss by Stephanie Laurens

Bar Cynster - 00 - The promise in a kiss
I have just started on the Bar Cynster series so here's a review of the 1st one in the series.

"The promise in a kiss" revolves around Helena d'Lisle a french countess and Sebastian Cynster, the duke of St. Ives, an English duke. Helena is plotting an escape from her domineering guardian and uncle Fabien who uses her as a bait to entice gentlemen and make them do as he pleases. Tired of the games Fabien plays Helena procures a note from him saying that she can marry a nobleman whose states equal her own. Happy that now she is free of the games powerful men play..Helena sets out to England to find a husband who satisfies Fabien's criteria as well as her own..A husband who would not attempt to influence, dominate or manipulate her. Little does she realize that she has played straight into Fabien's hands.

The duke of St. Ives Sebastian sets his mind upon making Helena his duchess..not only because of her beauty and temperament but also because of an unspoken promise made seven years ago. But he is every bit powerful and domineering as Fabien..the very thing she is determined to avoid..yet as love has strange ways..he is all that she wanted all along..but she must steal from him to save another she loves..will she forsake her love? Will he understand her dilemma? Forgive her?

Review - The plot though sounds intriguing the story goes slack in places. It is not well paced. The emotional dilemma of Helena could have been sketched in better words. Sebastian has been not treated fairly too. In describing his prowess as a powerful man..the author has forgotten to lay stress on his feelings as a man..I did not get even a glimpse of Sebastian's mind anywhere. The element of mystery and intrigue picks up only in the last few chapters and sounds hasty where as the first few chapters are too slow.

I would give it a 6/10.........the rating is highly subjective and of course openly debatable by anyone else who reads the same book.