Tag: Historical Romance

Traitor in Her Arms (The Scarlet Chronicles: Book 1) by Shana Galen

Traitor in Her Arms (The Scarlet Chronicles, #1)

Title: Traitor in Her Arms

Author: Shana Galen

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: August 22nd, 2017

Genre: Historical Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Scarlet Chronicles

Traitor in Her Arms – Book 1

Where you can find Traitor in Her Arms: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Two morally compromised souls wage a battle of wits—and seduction—against the backdrop of the French Revolution in this thrilling romance from bestselling author Shana Galen.

After her late husband leaves her in debt to some dangerous people, Lady Gabrielle McCullough is forced to become a thief. In the intervening years, her skills have not gone unnoticed. After being recruited by the Scarlet Pimpernel, the mysterious do-gooder spiriting aristocrats out of revolutionary France, Gabrielle crosses the Channel for the most daring mission of her life. Accompanying her is the Earl of Sedgwick, a thief in his own right and an enticingly masculine presence. The man is not to be trusted—nor is Gabrielle’s body when he’s near.

Ramsey Barnes would not say he is an honorable man. His whole life has been based on a lie; why change now? Although it pains him to deceive the tantalizing Gabrielle, he’s working toward an altogether different objective: unmasking the Scarlet Pimpernel. If Ramsey fails, his blackmailer will ruin him. But when Ramsey’s confronted with the carnage of the Reign of Terror, he seeks refuge in Gabrielle’s heated embrace. Now he faces a terrible choice: betray the woman who’s stolen his heart—or risk losing everything.

My review:

Traitor in Her Arms is one of those books that is going to stay with you for a long while after reading it. Set during the French Revolution, I was sent on a hair-raising and harrowing adventure through England and France. I was literally on the edge of my seat for more than half the book and I think during the more harrowing parts of the book, I couldn’t take a breath, that is how much this book got to me. And believe me, for me to get so emotionally invested in a book is a good thing.

I had mentioned in another review that the French Revolution, while used as a backdrop in historical romance novels, really isn’t a place that authors visit in their novels. It was too violent and not at all romantic. But, I like what the author did to make Paris a perfect spot for Ramsey and Gabrielle’s romance. She made them go to France for two different reasons. Gabrielle, an accomplished thief, was to steal a bracelet and then secure the freedom of a Comtesse and her child. Ramsey, well he was to find out who was the Scarlet Pimpernel and tell his blackmailer his identity.

I couldn’t understand why Gabrielle was such an accomplished thief until it was explained a few chapters into the book. I couldn’t imagine my husband dying and leaving me to deal with his creditors. She was desperate and the unsavory people who her husband was dealing with were becoming more and more impatient. So she learned to pick locks and used those skills to steal jewels and whatnot from the fellow members of the ton.  When she was approached by the Scarlet Pimpernel and told that she was going to France to save the Comtesse and her child, she didn’t hesitate…even though France was in a state of civil unrest.

Ramsey was an enigma to me, at first and I couldn’t understand why he was stealing Cleopatra’s jewels. But the more into Ramsey’s story I got into, the more something didn’t add up. I really didn’t understand why Madam seemed to have him by the balls and kept threatening to show his secret. But the more into the book I got, the more the author gradually peeled back Ramsey’s layers. When his secret was finally revealed and the reasons behind it, I actually felt bad for him. What a burden to be carrying around!!

The book really picked up once Ramsey and Gabrielle were undercover in France. I will give you all a warning and say that this part of the book is not for those who do not like violence. Because there were some pretty violent and descriptive scenes. I was literally chilled when Ramsey and Gabrielle saw the aristocrat who was literally dismembered before their eyes. Also, what chilled me was when they went to witness the people being guileteened. I couldn’t get the descriptions of the square soaked in blood, the people being executed or the people watching out of my mind. I knew that was a bloody period in France’s history but I guess I didn’t know how bloody until I read this book.

The end of the book was pretty anticlimactic after reading Ramsey and Gabrielle’s times in France. But it did end as a happy ending for both Ramsey and Gabrielle.

How many stars will I give Traitor in Her Arms: 5

Why: I loved this book. It was a beautifully written book that had plotlines that definitely kept my attention and a romance that defied Revolutionary France.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and violence. Like I said above, when Gabrielle and Ramsey were in France, it was very bloody and some people could be put off by it.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Addicted to the Duke (Imperfect Lords: Book 1) by Bronwen Evans

Addicted to the Duke (Imperfect Lords, #1)

Title: Addicted to the Duke

Author: Bronwen Evans

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: June 13th, 2017

Genre: Historical Romance

Number of pages: 260

POV: 3rd person

Series: Imperfect Lords

Addicted to the Duke – Book 1

Where you can find Addicted to the Duke: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A lovestruck lady charms the Duke of her dreams during an expedition on the high seas in this sexy, swashbuckling novel from USA Today bestselling author Bronwen Evans.

Alexander Sylvester Bracken, Duke of Bedford, has a mission: sail to the Mediterranean and track down Lady Hestia Cary’s missing father. It is a straightforward task, but for two rather vexing complications. First, the sea holds painful memories; second, for her own safety, Hestia is to accompany him. As Alex battles the demons of his past, he must also resist Hestia’s surprisingly skillful attempts at seduction. After all, Alex has sworn to leave her untouched, and he intends to honor that vow—until he can properly ask the Earl’s blessing.

Ever since His Grace rescued Hestia from the arms of a Turkish pirate six long years ago, her heart has belonged to Alex. So when he agrees to help find her father, Hestia is thrilled. Although Alex tries to hide it, there’s passion in his eyes—and a frisson of desire in the air—whenever they meet. On board ship, miles from home, Alex won’t be able to deny her any longer. But with scoundrels lying in wait, she may not live to tell the tale of her conquest.

My review:

Do not judge Addicted to the Duke by its cover. Why you ask? Well because the cover doesn’t do this book any justice. While it is nice to look at, and who doesn’t like a bare-chested man who is in the process of ripping his shirt off, I do think that the cover should have included Hestia. Normally, I am like “No women on the cover” but Hestia earned a spot in my heart because of everything that she went through and how she loved Alex unconditionally. Actually, thinking about it, maybe Hestia should have been featured instead of Alex. Just saying…

Continue reading “Addicted to the Duke (Imperfect Lords: Book 1) by Bronwen Evans” →

An Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities: Book 2) by K.J. Charles

An Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities, #2)

Title: An Unnatural Vice

Author: K.J. Charles

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: June 6th, 2017

Genre: LGBTQIA, Historical Romance

Number of pages: 250

POV: 3rd person

Series: Sins of the Cities

An Unseen Attraction – Book 1 (review here)

An Unnatural Vice – Book 2

An Unsuitable Heir – Book 3 (publication date–October 3rd, 2017)

Where you can find An Unnatural Vice: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

In the sordid streets of Victorian London, unwanted desire flares between two bitter enemies brought together by a deadly secret.

Crusading journalist Nathaniel Roy is determined to expose spiritualists who exploit the grief of bereaved and vulnerable people. First on his list is the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Nathaniel expects him to be a cheap, heartless fraud. He doesn’t expect to meet a man with a sinful smile and the eyes of a fallen angel—or that a shameless swindler will spark his desires for the first time in years.

Justin feels no remorse for the lies he spins during his séances. His gullible clients simply bore him. Hostile, disbelieving, utterly irresistible Nathaniel is a fascinating challenge. And as their battle of wills and wits heats up, Justin finds he can’t stop thinking about the man who’s determined to ruin him.

But Justin and Nathaniel are linked by more than their fast-growing obsession with one another. They are both caught up in an aristocratic family’s secrets, and Justin holds information that could be lethal. As killers, fanatics, and fog close in, Nathaniel is the only man Justin can trust—and, perhaps, the only man he could love.

My review:

An Unnatural Vice in the second book in the Sins Of The Cities series. I had previously read and reviewed An Unseen Attraction and really enjoyed that book. So when I saw that book 2 was available on NetGalley, I had to request it. I am glad I did because this book was fantastic.

I am going to come right out and say that this book is not a stand-alone. You need to read An Unseen Attraction to follow the events in An Unnatural Vice. The events in An Unnatural Vice closely intermingle with the events in An Unseen Attraction. Actually, the storyline in An Unnatural Vice is the same time as the events in An Unseen Attraction. Several scenes from An Unnatural Vice were rewritten to be from Nate and Justin’s point of view. I know it sounds confusing, reading what I wrote, but it actually worked. I got to see what was happening to Clem and Rowley from another point of view….along with Nate and Justin’s main storyline. It was different and again, like I said above, it worked.

I enjoyed reading about mediums in that time period and the length’s that they went through to convince their clients that they were actually talking to spirits. From the setup to picking their apprentices to the real senace, it just fascinated me. Justin was pretty good because he had me, a reader, convinced that there was something supernatural going on for a couple of chapters…lol.

Nate was still grieving for his lover, Tony. Tony died in a freak accident 7 years earlier and Nate was devastated, as any normal person would be after losing a loved one. So when he attends a senace to expose Justin Lazarus as a fraud, he wasn’t expecting to be attracted to him and it threw a wrench in his plans. While I felt bad for Nate, I absolutely loved seeing him come alive in this book. Not only was he hell-bent on exposing Justin as a fraud but he was working to help Clem with what I will call family issues (read the book because it is so much more). But both of those worlds collide, in a big way.

I did like Justin, even if he was a fraud. He was doing the only honest work that he knew how to do. So he is intrigued when Nate keeps coming around. I did have a giggle over how much of a foul mouth that Justin had, which again was a breath of fresh air. Also, he protected those he considered his….which meant that Sukey and Emma (a 12-year-old and a mentally challenged 15-year-old) were under his protection. It showed that under his façade of not caring, he was a very caring man. The scene where he was panicking over the girls being in the house was very telling because, at this point, the author chose to portray them as only servants/apprentices.

The romance between Justin and Nate was not a slow burn. I wouldn’t dare say that it was Instalove but it bordered on it. To be honest, it was pure lust. The first sex scene was mad sex. The men were arguing and one thing led to another. They were even arguing during sex, which did make me giggle. It was almost like they were having makeup sex while fighting. The other sex scenes were just as hot.

The storyline with Clem and the storyline with Justin did merge about halfway through the book. Like I said above, it was pretty interesting to read the events of An Unseen Attraction from another angle. It answered a lot of questions about certain events. I have a feeling that book 3 will do the same and honestly, I can’t wait to read it.

The end of the book was a HEA, for the most part. The book did wrap up, for the most part, Justin and Nate’s storyline but left Clem’s wide open. I can’t wait to see where it goes in book 3!!

How many stars will I give An Unnatural Vice: 4

Why: Great characters with a compelling storyline.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, violence, and language

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

A Counterfeit Heart (Secrets and Spies: Book 1) by K.C. Bateman

A Counterfeit Heart (Secrets & Spies, #3)

Title: A Counterfeit Heart

Author: K.C. Bateman

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: May 23rd, 2017

Genre: Historical Romance

Number of pages: 306

POV: 3rd person

Series: Secrets and Spies

To Steal a Heart – Book 1

A Raven’s Heart – Book 2 (review here)

A Counterfeit Heart – Book 3

Where you can find A Counterfeit Heart: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

As Sabine de la Tour tosses piles of forged banknotes onto a bonfire in a Paris park, she bids a reluctant farewell to her double life as a notorious criminal. Over the course of Napoleon’s reign, her counterfeits destabilized the continent and turned scoundrels into rich men, but now she and her business partner must escape France—or face the guillotine. Her only hope of surviving in England is to strike a deal with the very spy she’s spent her career outrunning. Now after meeting the arrogant operative in the flesh, Sabine longs to throw herself upon his mercy—and into his arms.

Richard Hampden, Viscount Lovell, is prepared to take any risk to safeguard England from the horrors of the French Revolution. To lure the insurgents out from the shadows, he’s even willing to make a pact with his archenemy: Philippe Lacorte, the greatest counterfeiter in Europe. But when a cheeky, gamine-faced beauty proves herself to be Lacorte, Richard is shocked—and more than a little aroused. Unlike the debutantes who so often hurl themselves at him, this cunning minx offers a unique and irresistible challenge. Richard will help her. But in return, he wants something that even Sabine cannot fake.

My review:

I find the times around the French Revolution very fascinating.  I haven’t read a lot of books, romance and otherwise, that even touch upon it. If I do happen to read a book in that time frame, references are given but nothing is really talked about. So, when I read the blurb for A Counterfeit Heart, my attention and interest were immediately caught. I was also really happy to see that it was book 3 in the Secret and Spies series. Having read A Raven’s Heart, I was curious if Richard would get his story and who his love interest would be. I wasn’t disappointed.

The plotline of A Counterfeit Spy was surprisingly action-packed. Mostly, when I read a historical romance, it follows a set plotline and this one deviates from that. Which made it very enjoyable for me to read. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love a historical romance that is standard…meaning that the heroine is sweet but weak, the hero is strong and tortured and there is a dastardly villain that is easily defeated thrown in. With this book, though, those stereotypes are rewritten. The heroine is most definitely not weak and thinking about it, she really wasn’t sweet either…lol. The hero is strong but I wouldn’t say that he was tortured. He held guilt over several incidents in the past but, for the most part, they didn’t carry over into the present day. The villain was not easily defeated either. He was actually carried over from the 2nd book and I believe he started in the first one (didn’t read it).

Sabine, I liked. For that time, she was an anomaly, a woman who didn’t need a man to survive. She only went to Richard because she needed the money to escape to America and build a new life for herself. She was also very sassy and wasn’t afraid to put Richard in his place. She also was very secretive but she needed to be. She had some pretty powerful people who were after her alter ego, Philippe Lacorte. I thought it was pretty refreshing to read about a heroine who was a criminal and who was honest about it. I mean, she did approach Richard about working for him and had no shame about admitting about her criminal past.

I couldn’t get that into Richard at the beginning of the book. I think it was because he came across as so harsh at the beginning of the book when Sabine appeared on his doorstep. But he did grow on me as the book went on. I think the reason I didn’t really like him was that he was so intense, so focused on getting that group arrested but he wasn’t afraid to use Sabine to make that happen. But he did grow on me during the book. I could tell that he had growing feelings for Sabine and that his actions were being influenced by them.

The romance between Richard and Sabine was a slow burn. I mean, you know that it was going to happen but I love how the author chose to stretch it out. Feelings were conveyed with a look and a touch. Everything was built up so that when they finally kissed (and had sex), my pages just about combusted. And it didn’t stop with that one scene. Every scene after that was the same way and I was pretty impressed by that. It is very rare that an author can have sex scenes that are as good as the first one.

The end of the book kept me on my toes. So much went on in such a short amount of time that I did have a small issue following everything. There were a couple of plot twists. One I saw coming and one took me by surprise. But still, even with the twists, I was very happy with the ending.

How many stars will I give A Counterfeit Heart: 4

Why: A wonderfully written historical romance that had a great plotline and relatable characters.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and sex

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Wed to a Spy (An All the Queen’s Spies: Book 1) by Sharon Cullen

Wed to a Spy (An All the Queen's Spies #1)

Title: Wed to a Spy

Author: Sharon Cullen

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: May 23rd, 2017

Genre: Historical Romance

Number of pages: 259

POV: 3rd person

Series: All the Queen’s Spies

Wed to a Spy – Book 1

Where you can find Wed to a Spy: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Blistering seduction meets international intrigue in the Highlands as a veteran spy infiltrates the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. There he matches wits against a tantalizing enemy: his new wife.

Simon Marcheford wants nothing more than to settle down on the land bestowed upon him by the English crown. Queen Elizabeth, however, is not about to let her best spy retire so easily. Simon will have his reward, she decrees, after he completes one last mission in Scotland. But no sooner has he sussed out a diabolical plot up North than Queen Mary weds him to her cousin—an exquisite beauty with troubled, soulful eyes—and orders Simon to watch her every move.

Aimee de Verris is no spy. But her life may depend on becoming one. Banished from the French court by Catherine de Medici, Aimee finds herself tasked with reporting on Queen Mary’s activities in Scotland, where she’s unnerved by the frigid weather and brutish customs. Worst of all, Aimee’s been married off to a most uncouth lout. But when murder strikes, she learns to appreciate Simon’s talent for shielding her with every inch of his muscular frame. If Aimee desires her husband, perhaps she could trust him—or even love him.

My review:

It has been a long time since I have read/reviewed historical romance. I was a huge historical romance junkie when I was in high school. I always had my nose in one and I was known around school as “the girl who read the bodice-rippers”…..lol. I had a huge library of Harlequin romance novels, along with Teresa Medieros, Jule Garwood, and Judith McNaught. I do not have that library anymore, I lost the library while moving a few years back, but I have very fond memories of sitting at home, reading these book and discussing them with my friends, who read them too.

So when I saw Wed to a Spy’s description pop up on NetGalley, I had to request it. The cover, which is beautiful, took me back to the mid-’90s and being a carefree high schooler with not a worry in the world.

I loved the backdrop of the story. Tudor England and Scotland in all of its glory. I was so happy that the author chose Tudor England instead of Regency or Victorian England. Personally, which I love reading about those eras, I feel that it is overdone. I really haven’t read romances set in Tudor England and like I said above, I was really happy about it. I just wish a tad more world building was involved in the book. I would have loved to have read more background on Mary since the story is mainly set in her court. I also would have loved to see more of how the court worked and to be honest, I would have really liked to have seen more of the uprising that killed Mary’s advisor, David Rizzo.

Aimee wasn’t my favorite character in the book. She just came across as very immature for a good part of the book and she was pining after a Frenchman, Pierre. She was sent to Scotland, by her aunt Catherine de’Medici, after getting caught in a scandalous embrace with Pierre. She was also told to spy on Mary and write back with any information that she, Catherine, could do. If she did that than Catherine would let her back home. She did grow on me during her and Simon’s escape from the castle and then from Scotland but still, not my favorite character.

I did like Simon and felt bad for him when Elizabeth denied his retirement. All he wanted was to take his younger sister and go back to his house to raise her. But Elizabeth had one last mission for him to do before allowing him to retire. It was while he was undercover, doing this mission, where he met Aimee and then Mary decreed for them to marry because, in her words, “They suited each other.” Which made me laugh because they did not, at first, suit each other. Actually, Aimee made it very clear that she didn’t even want to be married to him, that she wanted Pierre. But, in those days, marriage was a sacred bond that was never broken and women were men’s property. So once they were married, they stayed married and Simon had absolute control over Aimee. I wouldn’t have been a good fit in those times.

The romance between Aimee and Simon was a very slow burn. I mean, they didn’t even kiss until almost halfway through the book (not counting their kiss when they got married) and sex happened only a few times during the book. The sex wasn’t explicit but you definitely knew what they were doing.

The intrigue and drama that start happened in the book were the best part of the book. I held my breath during Rizzo’s execution and the madness that happened during the aftermath. The escape from the castle, along with the escape from Scotland was a page turner and kept me glued to the book.

I wasn’t a fan of the ending, though. While it was a HEA, I didn’t like how it came about. Too much happened in a short amount of time and made my head spin.

How many stars will I give Wed to a Spy: 3

Why: While I liked the storylines and the backdrop of Tudor-era England, I just couldn’t get into the story. Which made me sad because I used to love these types of books when I was a teenager.

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and sex

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Tangled in Sin (Bound and Determined: Book 5) by Lavinia Kent

Tangled in Sin (Bound and Determined, #5)

Title: Tangled in Sin

Author: Lavinia Kent

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of Publication: April 18th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bound and Determined

Mastering the Marquess – Book 1

Revealing Ruby – Book 1.5

Bound by Bliss – Book 2

Sarah’s Surrender – Book 2.5

Ravishing Ruby – Book 3

Angel in Scarlet – Book 4

A Very Ruby Christmas – Book 4.5

Tangled in Sin – Book 5

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

An innocent young woman flirts with scandal and becomes the mistress of her own forbidden desires in this stimulating Regency romance from the author of Mastering the Marquess.

Lady Cynthia Westhope can’t believe the shocking rumor is true. Her childhood friend, the daughter of a duke no less, has become the madam of London’s most exclusive and notorious brothel. Though she’s known as “Sin,” Cynthia is scandalized—and surprisingly curious. Just picturing the whips, the chains, the uncontrollable urges men gratify behind closed doors sends a jolt of electricity through her body. Still, Sin can’t imagine taking part in such games—until she’s snatched off the street during a raging storm and swept away to a remote cottage.

When James Winters encounters the comely virgin, he assumes she’s one of Madame Blanche’s fresh new beauties, especially after Sin pulses in ecstasy as he ravishes her. Then he discovers that she’s Lord Westhope’s virgin daughter . . . or was. Now they will both be compromised unless James devises a plan to save Sin from disgrace. Before long, they’re entangled in a web of tempting propositions, family secrets, and sensual intrigue—and bound together so tightly that James never wants to let go.

Don’t miss any of Lavinia Kent’s Bound and Determined series
MASTERING THE MARQUESS | BOUND BY BLISS | REVEALING RUBY | SARAH’S SURRENDER | RAVISHING RUBY | ANGEL IN SCARLET | A VERY RUBY CHRISTMAS | TANGLED IN SIN

My review:

When I read the blurb for Tangled in Sin on NetGalley, my interest was piqued. Seeing that erotica and BDSM are usually not what you associate a Regency romance with, I actually couldn’t wait to read the book.

While this is the 5th book in a series, you can definitely read this as a standalone book. I am not a big fan of picking up a book mid-series because usually I am left confused about past relationships. Not with this book, though. There were references to Ruby but nothing was really gotten into. Just that she turned the brothel over to Jazz after training her. I really enjoyed that, to be honest. It let me focus on Sin and James’s romance without fearing that Ruby would return. Also, the other characters from the other books were not mentioned at all. Again something I liked. They stayed in their own books….lol.

I thought Sin was great and very forward thinking for her time. She didn’t freak out when she was kidnapped, kinda freaked out when James took her virginity and then grasped her sexuality by the horns. It was so refreshing to read a Regency-era character who didn’t freak out when seeing a penis for the first time and who took the first step to start what would be the world’s hottest sponge bath in the history of any book that I read. But she was also super stubborn. There were some scenes where I kinda wanted to shake her and say “Just accept that you are going to marry him. Stop fighting it” because you know that is how the book is going to end.

James was kinda a tool at the beginning of the book. Who demands that their sister leaves her newborn daughter and then tries to kidnap her but instead gets her best friend (that he knows), thinks that it is one of her “girls” and then proceeds to have sex with until he realizes that she was a virgin. He is. But he does more than makeup for it and turns into a pretty good guy. I did think that maybe he wanted to marry Sin so he could have intercourse with her (actually intercourse) but he proved to me that he did love her. Read the book to find out how!!

Let’s talk about the sex in this book. It was sizzling, page-burning hot. I couldn’t get enough of those two and their sexual shenanigans. I mean, they did everything but intercourse after the first time (even talked about anal, which surprised me). When they finally had intercourse again, I gobbled up those scenes not because they were hot but because you knew that Sin and James were going to be together and were in love. Which made that scene oh so much sweeter.

The end of the book was great but I was left wondering about Jazz and hoping that book 6 if there is a book 6, would feature her and let her have her own happy ending.

How many stars will I give Tangled in Sin: 4

Why: Ok, I am going to say it here. This is not a book for prudes or those who get easily offended over things (like it being an erotica set in Regency England). This is one hot, hot, hot book with explosive sex scenes and two people who were made for each other. I devoured this book, literally reading it within a day. Couldn’t get enough of it and I am going to read that other books in the series.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes but with a warning about the sex scenes

Age range: Adult

Why: Explicit sex scenes, language, and some mild violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Bride of the Dragons by Selina Coffey

Bride of The Dragons: Shifter Menage Fantasy Romance by [Coffey, Selina]

Title: Bride of the Dragons

Author: Selina Coffey

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: August 30th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Erotica

Number of pages: 330

POV: 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Elokon and Siron have yet to find a mate.

Elokon became the alpha of his tribe three months ago, and since then, the human towns nearby have sent a dozen women in tribute, and even the women of nearby dragon tribes have sought them out. Elokon’s tribe is powerful and any dragon would be pleased to bear a child of his bloodline.

But neither he nor Siron has seen a single woman that awakens the mating instinct. At long last, the High Dragon has passed down an edict: find a mate, or Elokon will be stripped of his power and banished. There is no place in the Dragonlands for an alpha who will not carry on the old bloodlines.

As the third daughter of an impoverished Earl, Adelina has no dowry and no prospects.

Desperate not to become a priestess, she makes a plan: when the High Dragon’s court comes for their historic meeting with the human king, she will be so alluring that she can steal the heart of one of the richest noblemen at court. She has worked late into the night, sewing herself a dress that will catch anyone’s eye.

During the festivities, she knows she can tempt someone into an indiscretion…

But much to her shock, that someone isn’t human. Furthermore, it’s not one someone, but two. And now that they’ve found their mate, Elokon and Siron aren’t planning to let her go.

Author’s Note: This book contains mature language and themes, intended for adults only!

My review:

Bride of the Dragons would be a perfect book for the beach/pool. The storyline is not complicated and it is pretty easy to pick up if you had to put it down. So no confusing plotlines to remember. Just a straightforward story with a bit of romance, a lot of sex, some intrigue, and action is thrown in.

I felt bad for Adelina during the course of the book. She goes from being desperate and willing to do anything to avoid going to a nunnery to being an outcast within Elokon and Siron’s Blue Dragonflight. She had to deal with Fera and Fera’s attempts to drive her out. I think that I actually said, “grow a backbone” and “Stand up for yourself” to myself in a fit of book rage. I couldn’t believe how she let this woman walk all over her. I seriously wanted to go into the book and shake her (well Fera and Adelina….but mainly Adelina). But, things do change, for the better, and I was very happy with the end of the book.

I really liked how the author described the ménage between Elokon, Siron and Adelina and ultimately, the love story. See, the dragons mate for life with their soul mates. They know who their soul mates are as soon as they look at them and usually, the feeling is mutual. What was interesting in this case was that Elokon and Siron have to share a mate. They are the Alpha and Omega of their Dragonflight…which means that they balance each other out and they cannot have separate mates from each other. So, when Elokon felt that spark with Adelina, so didn’t Siron and fortunately, Adelina felt it too.

There was a lot of controversy around having Adelina marry them (well technically she married Elokon). Like I said above, dragons marry for love and for life….while humans marry to promote the best bloodlines and humans required dowries to marry. Which is true in the olden days, for the aristocracy required it and the marriages were marriages of convenience….marriages without love. Elokon didn’t understand how humans could do that. He also couldn’t understand the dowry (to be honest, neither do I….lol).

The sex scenes between Adelina, Elokon, and Siron were pretty hot. Normally, a threesome is not my cup of tea but this one was actually pretty good.

The sub-storyline of the Naga was very interesting too and I liked the twist that the author threw in regarding them. Looking back, it actually made sense (read the book to find out what I mean).

How many stars will I give Bride of the Dragon: 4

Why: Great plot, great characters, and great sex.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

More Than A Slave by Anaelle Gadeyne

More Than A Slave

Title: More Than A Slave

Author: Anaelle Gadeyne

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of publication: March 8th, 2017

Genre: Romance, Historical Romance

Number of pages: 460

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

Alexander Anderson has a reputation that would strike fear into the heart of the devil himself. And now, Aria Starbird is his property.

Aria has spent only a few months as a lowly slave, but already her happy childhood memories were starting to fade under the weight of her brutal existence.
When she is sold to Lord Anderson at an auction, she cannot help but be afraid. Lord Anderson is known for his cruelty. He is fiendish and handsome and as wicked as he is wealthy.

However, as she gets to know her new master, she realizes there is more to him than meets the eye. Over time, she is able to penetrate his tough exterior and begins to understand the struggle of a man who believes love is a weakness, but whose heart is now yearning for something unknown.

As the two let down their walls and discover each other’s truths, will Aria be able to tame Alexander’s inner-beast?

My review:

Inkitt has been good to me over the last few months. I have reviewed many good books for them. Books that I enjoyed reading. So when I was asked to review More Than A Slave, I didn’t hesitate because of my history of getting good books from them. I was actually excited to read it. So, needless to say, I went into this book with high expectations and oh boy, did they get smashed.

This book takes place in America (around Marietta, Georgia if I am not mistaken)….pre-Civil War. Aria’s parents sold her into slavery because they all were starving and they needed the money. They sold her to a family friend with the stipulation that she would be treated well and off they went with their lives. 8 months later, Aria is being brought to auction to be sold because she was very disrespectful to her master.

Aria is dragging into town on a rope by her master and she catches the eye of Lord Alexander Anderson. Alexander is from England and has settled in Georgia with his sister and brothers to make a new life for himself. He quickly built a reputation for being a cruel slave owner. The slaves that go work at his manor are never released and never seen alive again. He is so casual about talking about killing slaves with his brother Oliver, it made me sick.

Aria is bought by Lord Alexander and brought to his manor along with another slave called Harriet. She keeps running into Alexander and he keeps treating her like she isn’t a slave. Except when he wants to make a point and then he gets mad and treats her like a slave if that makes sense. But he always feels bad and apologizes to her. Their relationship quickly escalates to her sharing his bed (not sleeping with him) and her getting very upset whenever he kills someone or threatens to kill someone. At one point in the book, she makes him promise not to kill someone when he gets mad. The book is put down but this time I went “Great, he’s a psychopath (because he enjoys killing)”.

He actually kills one slave after she got into a fight with Aria. That scene was gruesome and so unnecessary. He goes on to imprison her father (in his defense, he didn’t know it was her father at the time) and then tells him to never talk to Aria again, takes part in this hunt called “Little Red Riding Hood” (slave girls were put into red capes and set loose in woods for the lords to hunt down and kill), torture Harriet (Aria’s archnemesis) and Aria’s old master. Plus, when he gets mad, he beats on one of his siblings. But it’s ok that he does it because deep down he’s a good guy, he just had a hard life. Excuse me while I go puke. It sounds like every excuse that people make for an abuser.

The end of the book was a surprise too because of the turn around Aria does on certain subjects. To be honest, I was proud of myself for finishing this book without having a meltdown or DNF’ing.

How many stars will I give More Than A Slave: 1

Why: Awful storyline. Awful characters. I couldn’t wrap my head around the use of slavery during Colonial America as even being OK to use as a romantic plot line.

Will I reread: No

Will I recommend to family and friends: No

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and sex

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

From London with Love (Rebellious Brides: Book 2) by Diana Quincy

From London with Love: Rebellious Brides

Title: From London with Love

Author: Diana Quincy

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: February 7th, 2017

Genre: Historical romance

POV: 3rd person

Number of pages: Unknown

Series:

A License to Wed – Book 1 (Review here)

From London with Love – Book 2

Standalone – Yes

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

Emilia St. George is moments away from marrying the admired grandson of a duke when the man who once jilted her decides to kidnap her at the altar. It’s the second time in five years Hamilton Sparrow has ruined her wedding day, and Emilia isn’t about to forgive him. The mere sight of her ex-fiancé revives painful memories—and, most regrettably, aching desires that refuse to be ignored.

Scanning the guests at Emilia’s wedding, Sparrow spots a familiar face: an assassin he recognizes from his days as a spy in France. Whisking Emilia away, he’s pleasantly surprised by her newly formed curves. Could this be the same flame-haired slip of a girl once promised to Sparrow? And does the fop she still insists on marrying realize what a prize she is? True, Sparrow left Emilia at the altar. But he’s afraid that the only way to right that particular wrong is to risk the one thing he’s always guarded: his heart.

My review:

Emilia is about to have the wedding that was denied to her 5 years earlier when her fiance, Hamilton Sparrow, left her at the altar. She was just minutes away from walking down the aisle when she was kidnapped by none other than…..Hamilton Sparrow. His reason for kidnapping her….there was an assassin in the audience and that assassin was there to kill her.

He brings Emilia to his manor, where she notices that his housekeeper is overly friendly with him. Put it this way, she was shoving her boobs in his face, giving Emilia (who she referred to as “the ginger”) dirty looks and the kicker, she tried to give Hamilton a blow job while he was sitting at his desk, which he quickly deterred but not before Emilia sees.

The assassin catches up with Sparrow and Emilia at Sparrow’s estate….where Emilia brains him with a rock while Sparrow fights him. The injury to his head, causes the assassin to go into a coma. Which is bad in a way because he can’t tell Sparrow who hired him.

So begins the mystery of who wants to kill Emilia and why.

Come to find out that there are a couple of people who want to kill her and they all have motives. Her cousin, a recluse, whose parents were murdered in their beds years ago and who people suspected of killing them. A shady art dealer who Emilia caught swindling people and got him fired from his job. Her current fiance who, come to find out, is a spendthrift and really isn’t nice to Emilia.

All the while, Sparrow is fighting a growing attraction to Emilia and he is trying to figure out how to get out from under a mountain of debt that the previous holder of his title left him when he died.

I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely something that I needed to read after the last few books I have read. The humor in the book was great.

I really liked Emilia. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Which was pretty funny in some scenes (like when she wanted to paint Sparrow naked…she was tenacious….lol).

Sparrow wasn’t the perfect hero either. He was hurt, badly, in the past by a former lover and he couldn’t move past that. So, what does he do? He forms attachments that won’t require him to get emotionally involved with the women. If that starts to happen, he ends the relationship. The gradual change in him took place from the minute he kidnaps Emilia. He turned down sex (from his housekeeper) because Emilia was there.

The sex scenes between Sparrow and Emilia were very hot and I loved how she propositioned him….lol.

I was surprised at who the person was who wanted Emilia dead and the reasons why. Well, I take that back. I wasn’t surprised at that because it made perfect sense. The end of the book was perfect. I do wish that there was an epilogue to show how Sparrow and Emilia were doing. I am sure, though, that they will make an appearance in the next book!!

How many stars will I give From London with Love? 4

Why: This was a funny, sexy, mystery/romance that keeps the pages turning.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and violence

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

To Tame a Wild Lady (Duke-Defying Daughters: Book 2) by Ashlyn Macnamara

To Tame a Wild Lady (Duke-Defying Daughters, #2)

Title: To Tame a Wild Lady

Author: Ashlyn Macnamara

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: January 31st, 2017

Genre: Romance

POV: 3rd person

Number of pages: Unknown

Series: Duke-Defying Daughters

To Lure a Proper Lady – Book 1

To Tame a Wild Lady – Book 2

Can be read separately from series: No

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

Lady Caroline Wilde is expected to ride side-saddle, but she’s not about to embrace convention. She’s also expected to keep a chaste distance from men like Adrian Crosby, the new estate agent, yet she cannot cease her ogling—which is especially irksome considering their ongoing feud. Adrian insists that the fields must be planted; Caro needs those same fields to train her horses. But whenever she tries to put him in his place, Caro looks into his steely gaze and her words simply … disappear.

A bastard son who grew up on the Wyvern estate, Adrian was lucky enough to receive an education at the behest of the late marchioness. Now that he has set out on his own, Adrian knows better than to fall for Lady Caroline, the Duke of Sherrington’s daughter. Caroline is at once a thorn in his side and an exquisite temptation, especially when she’s playing the feisty daredevil. Adrian would give anything for a chance to tame her—and with Caro in the saddle, he just might get his wish.

My review:

Lady Caroline Wilde, the Duke of Sherrington’s headstrong daughter is in a pickle. She has lost her 11-year-old step-nephew, Gus while riding in the rain. Going back to look for him, she finds him, thrown from a horse, besides a stream, unconscious with blue lips. Which isn’t good. As she struggles to lift him on her horse, Boudicca, she is helped by a man who happened to be passing by.

Adrian Crosby is on his way for an interview at the Sherrington Manor when he notices two children struggling in the mud next to a horse. Going to help them, he is shocked to find out that one of the children is actually a woman dressed in breeches. He was scandalized (remember the era!!) and brings the boy, and the woman, to the manor for help. Once he’s there, he is again shocked to find out that the woman he helped is The Duke of Sherrington’s middle daughter, Caroline.

Adrian is offered the job as an estate agent and his first order of business is to cultivate some fallow fields. Unfortunately, Caroline has plans for those fields. What she was going to do is host a hunt in those fields and try to get into another, more desirable hunt. So to say that she was not very happy with his plans are an understatement.

As this is happening, there are strange happening around the household. Caroline’s horse keeps getting let out and the stable hands are at a loss as to how it is happening. Gus is slowly recovering from his head wound and keeps giving the maid who is supposed to be watching him the slip. Holes are showing up all over Sherrington lands and that causes the horse Caroline is riding to stumble and throw her…..spraining her ankle.

Caroline is also fending off a dastardly man by the name of Marcus Pendleton. He is trying to get her horse, Boudicca, and has been going through extreme measures to try to get her. That includes having his stallion nearby to breed with Boudicca when she comes into season (and it does happen).

Adrian, however, is dealing with his own issues as the estate agent. He steps in and helps a maid by the name of Sadie who is being abused by her stepfather. He offers her a position as a nursemaid in the Sherrington house. But Sadie has other plans. Plans that could not bode well for Adrian or Caroline.

While all of this drama is happening, Caroline and Adrian are growing closer and closer. Adrian has a few secrets that he would rather that Caroline not find out and Caroline, well she is determined to find out.

Will Caroline find out Adrian’s secrets? Will Pendleton get his slimy hands on Boudicca? Will Gus learn to listen to his elders? Will they find out who has dug the holes? Will Caroline and Adrian be together despite their difference in stations?

Guess you need to read the book to find out.

*****************************

Caroline really annoyed me in this book. She wouldn’t listen and argued with Adrian over everything. Heck, a prime example would be when Boudicca was in season and being difficult to handle. He advised her not to take her out and what does she do….takes her out to spite him. Seriously, I wanted to throttle her.

She also was very impulsive and couldn’t care less about her reputation. I mean, heck, she was going glass for glass with Pendleton because she wanted to show she could be just as good as a man. All because she wanted to ride in a hunt and show her horsemanship off. Again, I wanted to throttle her.

I did feel bad for Adrian. Not only is he dealing with the spoiled, impulsive middle daughter of his employer but he has to deal with tenants who have their own agendas. I seriously felt that he needed a medal for everything that he dealt with there.

He also needed one for the stuff he dealt with at his previous employer. When it came out why his ex-employer’s wife acted the way she did, I was a little shocked. Actually, a lot shocked. I didn’t see it coming in the book (kudos to the author to keeping that secret well hidden with only a few hints).

The romance between Caroline and Adrian didn’t feel right to me. It felt forced in a way. Almost like Caroline was thumbing her nose at her station. The attraction was there but I honestly can’t pinpoint where they fell in love with each other and that kinda bothers me. Usually, I can pick it out and I couldn’t.

The end of the book was pretty standard…with a HEA and everything.

How many stars will you give To Tame a Wild Lady: 3

Why: I give the author major props for trying to make a Regency-era woman a feminist outlook. I really do. Too bad I couldn’t get past Caroline’s chip on her shoulder. I also felt that the romance between her and Adrian was forced. There is a pretty good plotline, though, and the secondary characters really came alive in this book.

Will I reread: No

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe.

Age Range: Adult

Why: Sex and some mild violence. No language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**