An Affair Before Christmas (Desperate Duchesses, Book Two): Eloisa James

“Magic under the mistletoe…

“One spectacular Christmas, Lady Perdita Selby, known to her friends and family as Poppy, met the man she thought she would love forever. The devilishly attractive Duke of Fletcher was the perfect match for the innocent, breathtakingly beautiful young Englishwoman, and theirs was the most romantic wedding she had ever seen. Four years later, Poppy and the duke have become the toast of the ton…but behind closed doors the spark of their love affair has burned out.

“Unwilling to lose the woman he still lust after, the duke is determined to win back his beguiling bride’s delectable affections…and surpass the heady days of first love with a truly sinful seduction.”

I finished this book at four in the morning because, by far, the second half of the book was the best. The prologue was amazing and it started out wonderfully overall, but it slowed down drastically. It also became a real challenge to follow the plot when there was something like four or five other plotlines that barely related to that of the main characters. I’m not saying that it was a bad book; it was just sometimes pointless to follow the other plotlines when they didn’t really relate to the story. I understand that the author was setting up novels to follow this one, but it might have been easier for the readers had she found a better way.

Overall it was a decent book and the end was well worth the wait. Some situations were wonderfully comical and I truly felt for Fletch. The two of them are so in love, but Poppy’s mother was—believe it or not—more that abnormally in the way. This book was a pretty good read and it was a bit of a change from what I’m used to reading.

Affaire Royale (Cordina's Royal Family, Book One--Gabriella): Nora Roberts

***Sorry that there's no picture, I can't find one and I will put one up as soon as I can!***

“She’d escaped—but she’d lost her memory and her kidnappers were still on the loose. Now Princess Gabriella needed a protector fast, and brash American Reeve MacGee was the perfect man for the job. The handsome ex-policeman could handle absolutely anything—except falling in love with the stunning, vulnerable woman in his care.”

This book was the first one I've ever read by Nora Roberts and it was interesting. I tried her on by chance when I ran out of things to read on vacation and my aunt happened to have this book on hand. The characters were VERY real and well-developed and I was impressed. I must say, however, that Nora Roberts isn't exactly my cup of tea.

First off, I don't make a habit of reading books that take place later that the 1900's and this one was meant to be set in a "modern day" fictitious setting. I liked it all well-enough, but was not entirely impressed. I'm a little ashamed to say that the "love" scenes were not nearly as...(how do I put this delicately?)...descriptive (?) as I am used to and it made it a little bit hard for me to read. I'm actually embarrassed to say that, when I got to that point, I was expecting a something BIG because of all the tension building between Gabriella and Reeve, but all I thought was "wow...that's it...?".

Through this all, I think I may have to read the other books in the series because the characters of Alexander and Bennett did, in fact, captivate me. They were polar opposites while Gabriella was merely a mixture of the two of them. I would have really liked to read more from Reeve's point of view, but what can you do?

Once A Rake: Rona Sharon

"IRRESISTIBLE SEDUCTION ONLY LEADS TO...

"War had scarred the Earl of Ashby's face...and perhaps his soul. Before being wounded in the Napoleonic war and shunning society, the dashing lord had been a notorious rake. Now Isabel Aubrey, a proper lady, dares to approach the masked, reclusive nobleman for a large donation to a worthy charity--and decides she must save him from his self-loathing. She begins to flirt. He responds. She invites him to a masquerade ball. He accepts and dazzles her with a kiss.

"THE MOST SCANDALOUS PASSION...

"But Isabel already has a fiance and despite her attraction to the earl she knows she must reject him. Yet no force on earth is greater than the passion that leads her into his bed; nothing she has ever experienced is more exciting and erotic. Now he asks her to stay with him although it will mean her ruin. Isabel must not say yes--and the smitten earl cannot let her say no. To win her body and her heart, he initiates an outrageous scheme that only a rake would devise--and no woman can resist."

I'm going to admit to something...I only picked this book up because I was waiting for Celeste Bradley's book to come in from another library and was actually reluctant to start reading a book that was only meant to be a "filler". In the end, I truly fell in love with this book.

I know that I saw this a lot, but this book was fantastic! It made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion and the passion was some of the best written that I have ever had a pleasure to read. It made me smile, grit my teeth in aggravation, and sigh with longing for a happy ending. The characters were undeniably well-written and their stories were so gut-wrenching...so heart-throbbingly real that I felt almost as if I had known the characters or was actually watching the book on a screen. The images were powerful and the angst and longing were so deep that it was impossible to find any flaws. I will CERTAINLY look for more of Sharon's work!