Deceived by Nicola Cornick

Rating: 5/5


Princess Isabella is anything but a princess.  She is in debtor's prison and desperate for a husband to take on her debt, thanks to her late husband, Prince Ernest.  Enter Marcus, Earl of Stockhaven.  Having been jilted by Isabella long ago, Marcus is bent on revenge.  Isabella is shocked to find her long-lost lover in debtor's prison but agrees to a bargain to marry him so that he can temporarily take on her debt and provide her with freedom to obtain the funds to pay for their debts.  Unbeknownst to Isabella, Marcus is a spy and actually disguised as a prisoner.  


Hang on to your stockings ladies, as the romantic and sexual tension between Isabella and Marcus explodes out of the pages of this book!  As my first Nicola Cornick book, I was in love!  It had all the ingredients of a fantastic,  pleasureable story.  Nicola's writing is detailed and flows well.  Both characters are wonderful to read about.  The book just sizzles with the interaction between the two lovebirds.  Witty and flirty combativeness leads to dangerous, scorching romance.


Marcus is very alpha male and makes readers (especially this reader) want to trade places with Isabella in an instant!  Sexy, intelligent and compassionate, Marcus will definitely make many toes curl and readers swoon.

A Touch of Scandal by Jennifer Haymore

Rating: 5/5


Heroine: Kate, a Lady's maid/servant/sister-in-law (it's complicated...read on!)
Hero: Garrett, Duke of Calton
Time period: 19th century England


(Possible spoilers! Be warned!)


Ms. Haymore creates Kate to be a heroine who is much like a flower.  She is fully of hidden energy and quirkiness at the beginning, but in the end, grows into a beautiful and charming bloom.  Readers enter the story meeting Kate as a lady's maid to her sister-in-law, Rebecca. The story is complicated at first, full of secrets.  Her sister-in-law does not realize she is related in any way to Kate and for the sake of Kate's family, Kate keeps it a secret.  


Garrett is Kate's love interest and is also Kate's sister-in-law's brother...so that would make him her brother-in-law, correct? Well, in any case, Garrett is out for revenge against Kate's brother for running off with his sister, Rebecca.  


When Garrett and Kate first meet, it is due to Kate spying on Garrett who is swimming in a lake nearby Rebecca's residence.  Kate is enchanted and mesmerized by Garrett.  In turn, when Garrett meets Kate, he feels the same, though is less obvious in his attraction.  Kate convinces Garrett to take her and they enjoy a romantic tumble.  Much later, to Garrett's chagrin, he finds out that she is sister of his enemy.  (Oh Romeo...)


I actually enjoyed the fact that the sexual interlude between the two main characters starts off early in the book.  It leaves plenty of room for plot and further romance.  Also, it shows that the author doesn't need to use that device to lure readers further into the book.  Instead, the author uses actual plot and character development.


I apologize.  Back to the story!  


Eventually Kate learns the truth about her brother's marriage, the truth of her brother's character (which is bad) and Garrett's involvement.  She is torn between the possible love of her life and familial obligations.  


She ends up choosing to side with Garrett, which I agree with considering her brother tricked Rebecca into marrying him for money, her mother plays favoritism and loves her brother more than anyone else, and the reason Kate is maid to her sister-in-law is due to more trickery and lies from her brother.  Additionally, Kate's brother has no love for Kate at all (ever) and uses her to his advantage as much as he can, no matter what the risk to Kate's life/virtue.


The first half of this book ends with the death of Kate's brother and Kate joining Rebecca and Garrett in London.  The rest of the book involves Kate adjusting to society and the ton and attempting to find a husband with the help of Rebecca and Garrett.  


As a whole, I loved the characters, writing, story, and pacing of the book.  Kate knows her place in the world yet is still a courageous, outspoken, and spunky character.  In the past, I have read books with headstrong female heroines who foolishly speak out with no real reason, other than just being defiant and standing out.  That really doesn't help depict females as a strong counterpart to males.  It just makes females look stupid and want attention.  Whereas Kate is actually intelligent and thinks things through before speaking.  Kate is definitely not a dim-witted, loud obnoxious character and I give kudos to Ms. Haymore for creating such an interesting and refreshing character.  

The Promise by May McGoldrick

Rating: 5/5


One of my all-time favorite historical romance book and author is The Promise by May McGoldrick. What is different about this author is that May McGoldrick is a pseudonym for two people (a husband and wife) who collaborate to write historical romances. These books turn out amazingly well - perhaps it is due to a balance of both genders in the creation of these stories. Sadly, they have moved on to write more contemporary stories, but having previously asked them on any potential future historical romances, they have said that if they find an interested publisher, they'd be more than happy to produce more. So if there are any publishers out there, in need of an excellent historical romance "author", please seek out Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick for your future books!


In any case, I digress and apologize. On to the summary and review!



Summary
Heroine: Rebecca Neville
Hero: Earl of Stanmore
Setting: Mid-18th century England


Rebecca is fleeing to escape being caught of a murder crime where she defended her virtue from a nobleman. On the way, she meets a weak noblewoman who has just recently given birth to her son. The noblewoman offers Rebecca a chance to escape with her on a ship. Rebecca grabs at the chance and finds herself mourning the loss of her lady savior and a new mother to the newborn, James, while in route to America.


Fast forward 10 years later and we find a more settled, hardworking Rebecca in Boston with her adopted son, James. They are inseparable and love and rely on each other dearly. We also find that the Earl of Stanmore has finally discovered that he has a living heir and sends his lawyer to locate and retrieve said heir. Shocked, Rebecca finds she cannot give up her son to an unknown earl, yet cannot deny her son's birthright so she agrees to escort her son to England to meet the earl and ensure that her son's future is safe and stable. Upon arriving in England, Rebecca and the Earl of Stanmore face off in an attempt to secure James' future in the way they believe is right for him. From there, you follow both characters on a fairly realistic journey through romantic struggles and sacrifices for those that they love.

Review
This was one of the first books I had read where the heroine has a child to care for and I thought it might ruin the romance like what sometimes happens in real life with children, but I was wrong! This story is poignant and sweet. The pacing is done well - the hero and heroine are not rushed into any sexual intercourse off the bat. Instead the attraction and romance slowly builds to fire some sizzling, yet romantic love scenes. The story is strong so readers feel like they are actually reading a book with substance, rather than just a weak story that keeps throwing the hero and heroine together for sex. This is actually one element I really love about May McGoldrick. "She" actually writes substantial stories and not facades of a story. The romance is a main part of the book, but there is more to it than just that. There is depth to the story.


The descriptions are wonderful and allow readers to become immersed into the world of the characters. The writing style is very easy to read and detailed. As the condition of my copy of this book can attest to, I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book.

After the Kiss: The Notorious Gentlemen by Suzanne Enoch

Rating: 5/5

After disappointment in some of Ms. Enoch's more recent historicals, I'm so glad to have read this book. This book is definitely a keeper for me and worth every penny! 

This book is about a bastard son, Sullivan Waring, who is a famous horsebreeder and also secretly a thief of paintings, or rather someone who is reclaiming paintings which originally belonged to his late mother and sold without his permission. Sullivan meets Lady Isabel Chalsey during one of his nightly painting retrievals and in order to silence her, he kisses her. That kiss begins everything... 

Initially reading this synopsis, I was a bit skeptical about the believability of this story. I mean, seriously, who kisses a thief in the middle of the night in their house? There are a lot of elements in this story that another author might have made less believable and made me roll my eyes at, but Ms. Enoch unravels the story so wonderfully and realistically that the jaded historical romance reader part of myself just disappeared while I was reading this book. Not only is the story engaging, but I loved everything in-between! I absolutely loved the subtleties. The subtle humorous comments within the dialogue and narration were a delight! Nothing was over the top. I loved that the author didn't accommodate for the lowest common denominator when writing this book. Although this isn't the most complicated of books, not everything was simple, like some historicals I've read. 

This book has depth and realism. I love that when Isabel is slightly shunned by the ton, the author portrays the issue a little bit more realistically than other authors have. Isabel doesn't quickly wave away the consequences and reaction of the ton. Although there have been heroines in other books which have and have been made to seem stronger for it, I like that Isabel doesn't. She's human and not infallible. She's real and multi-dimensional. She stops and considers everything. She knows she has something to lose that is significant to her because she's been raised a certain way. Which one should she sacrifice? 

I also enjoyed reading about the development of Isabel and Sullivan's relationship. Of course, there was the initial attraction, but there needed to be something more between them to build and Ms. Enoch does that incredibly well...and at a good pace. And it isn't just lust! There's flirtation, trust, suspicion, and everything in between! And...in their thoughts, they admit to the attraction and there is nothing coy about it! I cannot begin to tell you how much I hate it when characters feign ignorance or avoid their feelings for each other when it is clearly there. These two know they are attracted to each other and maybe it takes one of them a little longer to figure it out, but once they do, it's openly admitted and no one is trying to pretend something's not there. It's refreshing! 

I even loved the secondary characters, the villians...everyone. They all played their parts wonderfully. Also, the heroine has a very supportive, loving, and complete family! I don't know how many historicals I've read where there's always someone who's the "evil" family member or where there's only part of a family. 

I cannot begin to describe how wonderful this book is. You really have to read it for yourself and see. I am very glad to know that there are still these type of historical romances around. :)

Sinful Surrender by Beverly Kendall

Rating: 4/5

I really enjoyed this book and the writing. It was sexy and compelling. The only thing that makes me not give this book 5 stars is near the end.

Missy is infatuated with James and James is close friends with her brother so he abstains from any relationship with her even though he is also attracted to Missy. (I actually really loved the fact that the shoe was on the other foot. Usually it is the man that pursues and seduces the woman, but it starts off with Missy having the confidence and perhaps naiveté to pursue James ruthlessly.) Missy throws herself onto James to the point where they end up having sex...although blaming Missy for the whole sexual interlude is a bit unfair since it takes two to tangle and Missy's intent was not to seduce James at that point.

Filled with remorse from deflowering Missy, James, unfortunately, also is told that he impregnated another woman, Victoria, while in a drunken, loss-of-memory stupor. Having gotten himself into this bind, he seeks out Missy and she informs him not to worry about her - she won't force him into a marriage and she is not pregnant by him. He then proceeds to do the honorable thing with Victoria and court her to marry her...much to his dismay. Distraught and angry, Missy finds she must find a way to forget James since he got another woman pregnant and they are on their way to being married.

Both characters are tortured at this point because they want to be with each other. James then finds out that Victoria lied, drugged him, and actually did nothing with him so he is set free. Free to pursue Missy now that he has realizes how much she means to him. He seeks Missy out and proposes marriage to her, explaining that he did not get Victoria with child. Missy refuses the proposal because she is convinced that he wants her for all the wrong reasons (honor, lust, etc.), is still upset over the previous events, and also she wants love or nothing at all. The tables are turned and James pursues Missy, much to her dismay and at the same time, I think, pleasure. Missy keeps resisting him and turning him down.

At this point, I understand and agree with the way the characters behaved. I understood James and I understood Missy's positions. The next parts, though, I did not like. I thought they dragged the story on more unnecessarily with more resistance of Missy and James coming together. At this point, they should have started softening towards each other more and readers could read more about their ACTUAL courting period and them falling in love without more angst and bitterness. Instead....

James' father dies and James finds out he has 2 bastard half-sisters. His mother is bitter about them and misleads Missy into believing that the two girls are James' daughters. Missy seems to be starting to soften towards James at the funeral but after finding out about the sister/daughters, she gets upset all over again and starts to believe more that James would not make a good husband for her, as he doesn't love her and could possibly be unfaithful.

Of course the story ends happily, but after all the anxiety between Missy and James throughout the book, I really wanted to just read a nice chapter or three about them really being on the same page (no pun intended) and going through their courtship and their heated romance/flirtation/etc. Somewhat like a rewarding, relaxing romance-filled portion after all the tension between the two lovebirds. I didn't want to read more about misunderstandings, lack of communication, etc. The ending where they were together was all too brief for me. In romances, I always like to learn a little bit more after the climax (another pun not intended) of the characters and their interaction.

For a debut, this book is a lot better than a lot of the recent historical romances that have been coming out of veteran historical romance authors! Beverly Kendall definitely has a lot of promise and I am definitely looking forward to the next book!