Palaces of Desire by Karen Alexander

After the death of her father, Nicole de Clervaux becomes the ward of the ever-so-handsome, filthy rich, powerful Duke of Falkland. William brings her to Versailles, where the decadent lifestyle of the rich and famous are a bit of a shock for a sheltered girl from the country, and it doesn’t help much to have a guardian right in the thick of it all. Nicole runs afoul of one of William’s mistresses and after being caught in a compromising position not of her making, and is packed off to the family estate in Bordeaux. With a revolution in full swing, things get a bit tense in France and William slips her out of the country and packs her off to his family castle in the north of England – but can our intrepid heroine stay put for her own good like she’s told to?

No, she can’t. Despite the night of passion they shared in Bordeaux, William and Nicole just aren’t able to talk to each other, although to be fair William’s on bunches of super-secret missions for King George. Nicole feels unwanted and finds a ship to take her back to Bordeaux and safety (fool, there’s a revolution on). Anyhoo, Nicole gets herself landed in prison and any day could be her last before she’s sent off to the guillotine with the other aristocrats.

Oh heck, there’s a whole lot more, but it’s getting tedious trying to recap it so I’m going to stop. There’s a surprise appearance at the prison, a secret wedding, an escape gone awry, a quick trip to Egypt with Napoleon, lots of misunderstandings and many, many episodes of *reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated*. During it all, Nicole analyzes ever big misunderstanding to the nth degree with her perpetual could-have/should-have/would-haves. Argh.

Ooops, one more thing – sexual content. Fairly tame compared to other books from this period, but there are a few seriously cheesy moments that will have you chuckling a bit.

You are like a frightened young doe in the forest, afraid to let the stag mount her and plunge his virile member into her warm depths.” Roger spoke the words deliberately to stimulate and humiliate her, to allow her to recognize herself as a dumb female beast that had no other hope than submission to the dominant male.”

😀

Not great, but not bad either. Library only.

Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath

Tags

texas

Don't let that new cover scare you, the sex is very tame

I didn’t believe we should fight the Northern states, and yet, I could not in all good conscience take up arms against the South, my home, and my friends. But more than that, I would not fight because I believe it’s a sin against God to kill another man. 

When Texas joined with the rest of the Confederate states, all the young men of Cedar Grove were ready and willing to join the glorious cause. All that is, except for Clayton Holland, who refused to bear arms and kill men in a cause he didn’t believe in. Those beliefs landed him in a Confederate prison where he was subjected to brutal torture and a very close call with the firing squad. When he returns home the entire town shuns him as a traitor and a coward – including Meg Warner who hates him more for coming home alive when her young husband did not. Meg hires Clayton, an acomplished stone mason, to carve a monument to Cedar Grove’s fallen men, and she’s hoping it will give him some well deserved punishment.

She wanted, needed him to face his cowardice, to have it carved into his heart so deeply that he would feel it with every breath he took for as long as he lived.

Well, things don’t quite work out the way Meg planned, as she soon finds that Clay’s steadfast, honorable nature is a pretty damned attractive one, but let’s just say that Meg’s family and neighbors are none too thrilled with that idea.

I’d rather spend my life with one man surrounded by love than the ignorance and hatred surrounding me now.

*sniff*

Lorraine Heath is an author I’d never come across until the library started adding a bunch of her titles to the Kindle lending list, and I’m very glad I decided to give her a shot. This was a lovely tale of love, faith and healing, and no surprise but Meg is the one most in need of it. Clayton is the perfect strong, silent manly man with a heart of mush inside, and Meg and her bitter soul was the the right match for him. I also adored Clayton’s two younger twin brothers, they added a good mix of kid-humor and also giving us a look at Clayton’s softer side. If that newer cover for the e-book editions is giving you the bodice ripping willies, don’t panic. Any sex in this book is very understated and rather tame by today’s comparisons – and you’ll be a long time waiting for the first steamy kiss. Heath takes time building the sexual tension, focusing more on the story and the characters (how refreshing). This is the second book of Heath’s I’ve tried and there will be more in my future, she’s perfect for a rainy day lighter read.

Chasing the Sun by Kaki Warner

Tags

New Mexico

This is the final book in Warner’s Blood Rose trilogy about the Wilkens brothers of RosaRoja ranch in New Mexico. This time we get youngest brother Jack’s story, and we haven’t seen him since the end of Pieces of Sky when he followed Elena to San Francisco in hopes of winning her hand, but he hasn’t been heard from for three years. Not. One. Letter.

The book begins with Elena returning home ready to take her final vows and become a nun. Jack was heartbroken when she refused to marry him (there are reasons for it, but I won’t spoil), went on a drunken binge, had a fling with saloon singer Daisy Etheridge, unknowingly impregnated her and then signed up on the first ship headed to parts unknown. Whew, long sentence. Anywho, Daisy’s at her wit’s end and needs some money and she heads to the Wilkens spread in hopes of finding Jack or sympathetic relatives (she really is a nice girl, and not a gold digger). And just as soon as Daisy and her daughter Kate are welcomed into the bosom of the the Wilkins household, a still heartbroken Jack finally decides to come home and he’s definitely surprised to find a woman he barely remembers and a child to boot – let alone his beloved Elena wearing nun’s clothing.

Hmmm. I did like this well enough, but not nearly enough as the first two, and I’m glad this was left at three books as the story was definitely running out of steam. Neither Jack or Daisy captured my interest like Jessica/Brady and Hank/Molly did in the first two books, and there really wasn’t a lot of chemistry between them. The underlying storyline wasn’t that compelling either compared to the first two books, the bad guys were rather *meh* and easily whipped, and outside of a nail biter of a rescue after a dangerous storm hits, there’s not much else there. Thumbs up on older brother Brady’s ever-increasing bunch at the ranch (Warner does write kids very well IMO), but the kids just weren’t as funny this time around, at least for me. Loved the epilogue though, that was a perfect finish to the story. 3/5 stars.

Open Country by Kaki Warner

Tags

New Mexico

Open Country is book two in Kaki Warner’s Blood Roses trilogy (review for book one here) and begins in 1871 as nurse Molly McFarlane finds herself between a rock and a hard place. Her father is dead after supposedly committing suicide, her niece and nephew are at the mercy of their dastardly step-father (an evil baddie with nefarious plots), and it appears there’s some book he thinks Molly has and he’s hot to get it at any cost. Molly flees west with the children where they end up in a horrible train accident. Molly hears that widows will receive $300 for the loss of their husbands, and since Hank Wilkens is as good as dead anyway, she ups and gets herself married to an unconscious groom.

Long story short, Hank survives due to Molly’s excellent nursing skills (her father was a doctor), but his memory’s still a bit off so he believes he married her for love (older brother Brady is in on the deception since he wants a nurse for his pregnant wife Jessica). Molly, Penny and Charlie are brought back to the ranch to join the ever-increasing Wilkens clan at the RosaRoja ranch in New Mexico, where Hank determines to court his *bride* again, and it’s beginning to look like everything might just work out…

And if he had to court a wife for the second time he didn’t remember from the first time, well . . . he’d do it . . . and hope they got to that taking-off-the-clothes part before he was so old he started losing his memory all over again.

That is until Hank’s memory comes back (no spoilers, that’s in the book description), and let’s say he’s not exactly amused. But don’t forget there’s still that evil baddie chasing her (he’s a mean one) and if Molly doesn’t have the mysterious book he wants so badly, just who does have it? And why are his employers so desperate to get it back?

I have to say I am loving this series to bits – especially the kids and the humor. Penny and Charlie are a perfect addition to older brother Brady’s expanding household, most especially Penny. Lord love a sticky six-year-old with a constantly dripping nose asking questions that no adult wants to answer 😀

Because Aunt Molly’s hurt and you said you would keep us safe and now we aren’t.” She let her hands fall to the bed and glared at him. “But I’m not leaving until I get my kitty. You promised.”

Like a dog with a bone, Penny never lets go…

The kid must be part Apache the way she snuck up on a person. “Say what?” he asked groggily. “That I puked.” He squinted up at her, trying to make sense of her words. Conversations with Penny were always a challenge. “Why not?” “Ladies aren’t allowed to say ‘puked.’

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Hank and Molly, and while I understood his anger at her original deception, I think Hank’s anger went a bit too far and it almost evolved into a Big Misunderstanding of the worst kind. The biggest plus for me though was getting to see more of Brady and Jessica from book one. Typically in series like these you’re lucky to get a brief cameo appearance here and there, but Warner puts Brady and Jessica front and center – thumbs up for that. My only real quibble is the final twists with the baddie chasing her, and Molly’s incredibly dumb stunt to save them all. I wanted to wring her foolish neck. Still, you don’t want to miss these and I’m already on the last book, Chasing the Sun.

FTC, Kindle edition via library loan.

Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner

She looked at land and thought flowers. He looked at land and thought cattle. She was liveried servants and ivy-covered stone. He was hard-living cowboys and rough-hewn timbers. Champagne and Forty Rod. The two didn’t mix.”

Oh, but they do…

Jessica Thornton is a very proper English lady and she is very pregnant and on the run from her dastardly brother-in-law who wants to force her into signing over the family estate so he can bleed it dry. Jessica comes to New Mexico hoping to find her long-lost brother, but instead she meets Brady Wilkins (watch out for that umbrella, folks).  Jessica and others are injured when their wagon is attacked, and she’s brought to RosaRojas, the Wilkins ranch, where the doctor orders her to stay and rest until her confinement is over. In between battling that dastardly brother-in-law as well the evil baddie bent on revenge against the Wilkins brothers, Brady and Jessica are on the fast track to true love (this is a romance after all).

Yes, there’s more but you don’t need to know it all and I have better things to do today than to recap the whole thing. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down, and started right in with book #2 as soon as I was finished. Not only is Brady the hunkiest hero in recent memory (gawd, that smile of his), he’s got a real soft side hidden beneath that gruff exterior,

You’re here.” He spread his palm over his heart. “Inside me. Part of me forever. If I raise my hand against you, I hurt myself. If I disrespect you, I bring shame on myself. Whether you stay with me or not, that will never change.”

Sigh. And did I mention funny?

Clasping his hands in his lap to hide the effect of his own randy thoughts, he cast about for something to say, something that might intrigue or amuse her, and maybe entice her to take a seat and stay awhile.

 “You know how to ride a horse?” he whispered. Somehow she managed to nod. His lips tugged on her earlobe. “Astride?” “No.” “Time to learn.”

“I do rise when you enter the room. That’s why I don’t stand up.”

Lol. And what is the very best thing about this book? Brady and Jessica sit and talk to each other. They don’t have Big Misunderstandings, they work things out by talking to each other. I adored the times they sat on the porch just quietly holding hands – talk about actions speaking louder than words. This is the first in a trilogy about the three Wilkins brothers, the others are Open Country and Chasing the Sun. 4/5 stars.

FTC – Kindle copy obtained via library loan.

A Breach of Promise by Victoria Vane

Lydia Trent is at first thrilled to find herself engaged to Marcus, Lord Russell, and they share some hot and heavy breathing on the night of their engagement, but then he high tails it off to work overseas. One year becomes two, then three and finally it’s been six years and Lady Lydia wants to void the marriage contract, dump her fiancé and move on with life – but Marcus isn’t about to let go.

If I am freed, my life will become a purgatory of simpering debutantes.”

That sounds like a fate worse than death. Marcus returns home to claim his bride, but Lydia isn’t too willing and he determines to seduce her into acceptance – and if that doesn’t work he’ll ruin her!

Full disclosure, erotica is not a genre I’ve read and while I knew full well going into this what to expect I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not, but I was pleasantly surprised. First off we get a Georgian setting instead of the ubiquitous Regency (they are so old). Second, we get a story with characters that are not just wall-paper window dressing. Third, we get a heroine that not only isn’t TSTL (too stupid to live), she’s not one with 21C morals and mindsets. Thank you Ms. Vane for not insulting the reader’s intelligence.

All in all, this novella was a quick, entertaining and seriously steamy read. I hope to see more from Ms. Vane in the future. 4/5 stars.

FTC disclosure, a copy obtained via Kindle loan.

Fortune’s Son by Emery Lee

  Fortune’s Son is a follow-up to Lee’s first novel, The Highest Stakes. The prologue begins with the ramifications to Philip Drake after his high stakes wager with you-know-who at the end of the first book, and then back tracks to Philip at age twenty, a wastrel second son of the Earl of Hastings. His luck with the dice fail him one night and facing exposure for…umm…improving his odds he’s saved in the nick of time by Susannah, Lady Messingham. Susannah (Sukey) is recently widowed and short of funds and needs a man like Philip to teach her the ins and outs of gambling – a match made in heaven especially since she can lead Philip by the nose.

Or can she?

Philip and Sukey partner up to spin the wheel of fortune and the sexual sparks are flying fast and furious. There are plenty of ups and downs, great gains along with devastating losses, a duel and more until the story switches back to 1751 where we find Philip’s back to the wall and he’s forced to pay the piper for the errant deeds of his youth.

This was really a lot of fun, the story picks up from the get go and never lets up. Those of you who have read The Highest Stakes probably hated Philip as much as I did, but hats off to Emery Lee for fleshing him out and letting us see the bounder man behind the mask, as well as a huge thanks for giving us more than just another romance – a whole lot more. This story should suit lovers of romance, as well as those who need a healthy dose of history along with the romance – and attention Publishers there are a lot of readers who expect more than just another wall-paper historical. Kudos to Emery Lee for writing them. I want more!

**Review copy provided by publisher, thank you.

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Tags

Cornwall

Recently divorced and at loose ends in life, Eva Ward accepts the task of scattering her dead sister’s ashes at their childhood home in Cornwall. Eva settles in for a long stay at Trelowarth house, but in true Kearsley fashion things start going bump in the night – and Eva is walking a path in the present one moment and the is next she’s stepped into the past – 1715 to be exact. She’s soon involved up to her neck with brothers Daniel and Jack Butler, Both smugglers like any good Cornishman, but they’re also plotting with the Jacobites and things get a bit complicated at times…

“It was not the best of places I could be.”

So as not to spoil I won’t reveal anymore, but fans of Kearsley should enjoy this a lot. This was a nice blend of time travel, romance, mystery and political intrigues. The time travel is handled nicely and is believable, although there was an unexpected twist at the end that took me by surprise – not 100% sure if I bought into that one. I liked watching the relationship grow between Eva and Daniel, but at the same time I didn’t find as much sizzle off the page chemistry I’d normally like to see. This is a book best to cuddle up with on a quiet weekend alone, and I mistakenly read it mid-week when my concentration wasn’t at its best. My bad. Kearsley fans will love this to bits, but while I enjoyed this it wasn’t quite up to par with The Winter Sea. 4/5 stars.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks for an advance copy.

Hummingbird by LaVyrle Spencer

Tags

Colorado, LaVyrle Spencer

Stuart’s Junction, Colorado. The morning run from the Rocky Mountain Railway shows up very late, and with two injured men to boot – one of them allegedly attempted to rob the train and the other heroically saved the day. Doc needs someone to tend the two men, and since no one wants a dangerous criminal in their home the railroad’s going to have to pay for it, and Miss Abigail definitely could use the money. Miss Abigail lost her one chance at happiness at twenty when she committed to caring for her father and her fiance headed for greener pastures. In the following years Miss Abigail has set the tone for all things prim and proper in Stuart’s Junction.

“The woman had starch in everything to her bloomers to her backbone, and it was amusing trying to make it crackle.”

Mild mannered shoe salesman David Melcher is the man who *saved* the train and takes a bit of a shine to Miss Abigail, while meantime she’s locking horns with the more seriously wounded Jesse who bears all the physical traits of a notorious outlaw – tall, dark and handsome and looks pretty damn good with his shirt off.  David’s wound is less severe and he’s soon packed off to sell more shoes. Miss Abigail is left caring for bed-ridden Jesse until he’s well enough to be turned over to the railroad company for trial and let’s just say that sparks continue to fly,

“They eyed one another like two bighorns deciding whether to butt or back off.”

Will Jessie work his way into Miss Abigail’s heart? Or will the ever-so-dull David Melcher return to win her heart? Is David Melcher really the down home all around good guy he appears to be? Is Jesse really a black-hearted train robbing scoundrel, or is there more under the surface? Will her corset and bloomers stay forever laced?

This was my first Lavyrle Spencer romance and won’t likely be my last. It was a quick and easy read and I had  a lot of fun watching Jesse and Abigail and their fiery mating dance, but I did find Jesse’s methods of courting Abigail a bit too heavy-handed at times. I don’t want to spoil by going into specifics, but it may be a turn off some readers – YMMV. The’s also some sex, and while tamer than what you can find in today’s romances does go into a bit more description and goes on for quite a few pages, so those readers who prefer their sex scenes taking place behind closed doors might want to prepare to skim a bit. 4/5 stars.

Grace by Deneane Clark

Trevor Christian Caldwell had a flashing dark green gaze that held a subtle hint of seductive promise, a great deal of smoldering warmth, and more than a trace of rich humor. When the earl looked upon a young lady, she always had the flattering impression that the entire world had fallen away, and that, for a moment, nobody else mattered to him.”

Oh, but Trevor hasn’t met Grace Ackerly, who is determined at all costs to remain an old maid (why?). Trevor sees Grace’s portrait and is in immediate lust love with Grace, and even more so when he meets the real deal. Thinking to escape Trevor’s advances, she flees life in the country with her large passel of sisters and joins her aunt in London for “the season”. I know Grace’s reasoning makes no sense, but this is what she does.

No surprise, but Trevor soon shows up anywhere Grace is – he claims a waltz or two from our unmarried miss (!!!), takes her on a carriage ride alone without a chaperone and there’s even a dumber-than-a-bucket-of-rocks scheme to sneak her out in the middle of the night, dress her up as a man and join a card game with his friends.

No, I am not kidding.

To be honest, I am not fond of Regencies and they all seem to be made of the same cloth – womanizing rake finally meets the much-too-independent woman of his dreams, falls head over heels in love and is ready to marry and have a passel of kiddos just like that. That said, I think even die-hard Regency fans would have issues with this one, as it is merely a wall paper romance with overblown descriptions of pretty dresses, heaving bosoms and rigid evidences of Trevor’s arousal 😉

The big misunderstanding is stupid and forced and Trevor turns into the biggest jerk that ever walked the face of the earth. Grace is much too modern and better suited for a contemporary romance than a regency (although I still think I’d dislike her). There’s a bit of a twist with a bad guy with evil designs stalking Grace, but you will guess who it is lickety split and isn’t of much use plot-wise except for the tidy wrap up at the end. I could say more, but I have better things to do today so I’ll just leave you with a few quotes so you can decide for yourself.

A blue satin sash wrapped around the high waistline and tied in an enormous bow that peeked jauntily out from behind her back and exactly matched the wide ribbon running through her short auburn curls. The perky ribbon looked entirely out of place tied in a fat bow above the gamine face dominated by those huge pansy-blue eyes.”

“With a strength he did not know he possessed, he dragged his mouth from hers, flinching at her unintentional soft whimper of denial, and stared, sightless, over the top of her head, his mind fighting to command his thundering need.”

“Her nipples rose proudly, blushing pink on small breasts shaped to perfectly fit his cupped hand, begging without shame for his kiss.”

“The ripe, enticing mound was suddenly exposed to his hungry gaze, her small, rosy nipple jutting proudly up into the midmorning air. Reverently he cupped her soft fullness in his hand, and then bent his head to suckle the offered tidbit.”

Thank goodness it was free. Mr. Kindle may never recover though.