The Guardian: Barbara Miller

“For seven years, Miss Amy Conde has run a successful horse breeding enterprise on her country estate, Talltrees. She longs to bring new blood into her line with a younger stallion, but that requires capital—money her absent guardian is willfully withholding. Until Amy turns twenty-five in three months’ time, Mr. Trent Severn controls her fate, and she bitterly resents his interference.

“Trent’s role in aiding his country’s war against Napoleon has consumed the last decade of his life. When he thinks of his ward, he remembers a little girl he met once, at her father’s funeral. Then he comes to Talltrees and finds that Amy is now a capable, strong-willed businesswoman—and a vital, passionate soul who regards him with deep disgust. Stunned beyond measure, he determines to find her a husband who will take her off his hands. But when an eligible suitor does arrive, Trent and Amy discover the heated emotion that sparked between them from the first is rapidly turning to desire.”

This is the first of Barbara Miller’s books that I have read and I must admit that I am impressed. I found this book at our local library’s book sale and was drawn by the cover. However, once I began reading, I was drawn into the book for an entirely different reason.

The characters were fun and exciting. They were very different from A LOT of the other books that I’ve read and it was really captivating. The plot, itself, was unique and I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a little change in their romance reading. I will definitely look for Miller in the future!

Tangled Reins: Stephanie Laurens

“Miss Dorothea Darent had no intention of ever getting married, until a dashing stranger with hazel eyes kissed her under a blackberry tree. Haunted by their kiss, the Marquis of Hazelmere, a notorious scoundrel, was determined to win Dorothea’s heart, even while she was busy dazzling other London socialites. Dorothea had a choice to make: stick with her plan to stay a respectable spinster, or run into the arms of her dashing stranger….”

Stephanie Laurens was a new author for me and I was really excited to read her works. I knew from the start that I was going to really enjoy her writing. Her characters were beautifully written and their personalities were so real. The plot was fun and different. I was constantly interested and was excited to read more. It was difficult to put down. However…This book was not like what I normally read. Parts of it were much tamer than I am used to and anyone who reads the other books that I recommend will agree. This isn’t really a bad thing, it’s just different. This would be perfect for someone who is a little more sensitive to the more “explicit” parts of romance novels.

Either way, the book was a good one and It was nice to read, but not entirely my style.

Challenge to Honor (Master at Arms, Book One): Jennifer Blake

“They were professionally trained, highly skilled men of valor, but the roguish dangerous sword masters were not always respectable…

“When her brother challenges New Orleans’s most infamous swordsman to a duel, Celina Vallier boldly confronts his opponent, Rio de Silva, determined to thwart what would be her brother’s certain death. Legendary maître d’armes agrees…for a price.—Celina’s innocence.

“Though Rio is captivated by Celina’s beauty and courage, she is also the perfect pawn for his revenge. She is to be betrothed to his sworn enemy, the Count de Lérida. And what sweet vengeance it would be to take the bride before the wedding.

“But neither anticipates the tangled web of scandal and danger that will soon follow. Devious plots are afoot, and Celina is wary of trusting anyone, including the man whose brazen sensuality tempts her to think of nothing but her own desires….”

I decided to try to read a new author and picked out this book by Jennifer Blake. I really enjoy reading about New Orleans and this period in history in particular. I was really excited to learn about the maître d’armes and I liked the whole idea behind this series.

The book started off really interesting and it made me want to read more and more…then…it slowed a bit. Don’t get me wrong, the book was beautifully written—in fact, it sometimes felt more like a screenplay than a novel because Blake has a talent for setting up her scenes like an actual film. The descriptions were wonderful…but I have never read a book with more dialogue… I hate to admit it, but this made this book just not my cup of tea. I’m not saying that the book was bad, it just wasn’t for me. I enjoy reading about what the characters are thinking and what motivates them. It makes them seem more real with a depth that captivates the readers. I am not saying that others won’t love this book—I really enjoyed a lot of it—but I am just warning others that—if they have liked the other books that I have recommended, then they may not completely love this book.

As this is the first in a series, I may or may not continue this series.

The Outlaws—Rafe (The Outlaws, Book One): Connie Mason

“He Was Going To Hang

“Rafe Gentry had committed plenty of sins, but not the robbery and murder that had landed him in jail. Now, with a lynch mob out for his blood, he was staring death in the face…until a blond beauty with the voice of an angel stepped in to redeem him.

“She Was Going To Wed

“There was only one way to rescue the dark and dangerous outlaw from the hanging tree—by claiming him as the fictitious fiancé she was supposed to meet in Pueblo. But Sister Angela Abbot never anticipated that she would have to make good on her claim and actually marry the rogue. Railroaded into a hasty wedding, reeling from the raw, seductive power of Rafe’s kiss, she wondered whether she had made the biggest mistake of her life, or the most exciting leap of faith.”

So, I’m back to reading more Connie Mason! (I’ve noticed a trend in my reading lately…there’s a pattern of Connie Mason and Sherrilyn Kenyon…so I think to keep things interesting, I’m going to have to read a new author next.)

This was the first in Mason’s The Outlaws series and it was an interesting start. I liked Rafe’s character a lot and Angel was fun to watch too—though both were similar to other Mason characters I’ve seen before. I mentioned in my last review that there was a pretty common thread in Mason’s books. This one deviated a little and it made it easier to read. I liked seeing more variety in Connie Mason’s writing—though; don’t get me wrong, I love Mason’s writing! I’m pretty excited to get my hands on the next book in this series.

1800’s, romance, novel, book, western, cowboy, Colorado, America, Kansas, mine, The Outlaws, outlaw, wanted

Dark Hunger (Manga Version): Christine Feehan

“FEEL THE NEED…

“He is Riordan…Carpathian male. Immortal. Seer. Now trapped and caged, his honor is compromised by his captors. They’re in his mind. They’re in his blood. But not one of them can withstand his desire for revenge.

“She is Juliette…A Beautiful activist devoted to the liberation of animals from the foul and humid confines of a secret jungle lab. What she has stumbled upon is unexpected—a prisoner like no other she has ever seen. Or touched.

“She will release from his bonds. He will release her from her inhibitions. Each has a voracious appetite that must be sated.

“…DARK HUNGER

“FEED IT.”

So, occasionally, I will pick up a manga or two (and I'm REALLY excited to read the manga version of Sherrilyn Kenyon's book, but that's another story...) and this one caught my eye. A while ago, I read the actual short story of this and I liked it. The plot was interesting and I believe that this manga followed it pretty well. However, I think the short story was a bit easier to follow and it explained things in a better manner; but I can't really fault the creators of this manga because I understand that it's not necessarilly easy to compile an entire plot into a manga. It was still well-done and I REALLY loved to finally have a face to the characters. I'll look for more Feehan manga in the future.

The Dream-Hunter (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Twenty): Sherrilyn Kenyon

“IN THE ETHERIAL WORLD OF THE DREAM-HUNTERS

“Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arikos can only feel when he’s in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he’s drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he’s finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

“THERE ARE CHAMPIONS WHO FIGHT TO PROTECT THE DREAMER….

“Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. Instead, she finds a stranger floating in the sea—one whose face she’d seen many times…in her dreams.

“AND THERE ARE DEMONS WHO PREY ON THEM.

“What she doesn’t know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul—Megeara’s.”

I was really excited about reading this book! This was a book all about the Dream-Hunters and it was a very interesting change-up. Sherrilyn Kenyon has done it again! She’s managed to suck her readers in with her fantastic plots and captivating characters. However, I have to admit that there were a lot of characters (the other Dream-Hunters) that were a bit difficult to keep straight, but I managed with a little effort. I liked how Kenyon explained more about the world of the Dream-Hunters because it made the entire story easier to follow. It was really neat to see more of Olympus and the other gods as well. I think I would have liked to have learned more about the background of certain characters, but it was still a good book nonetheless.

***SPOILER***

I didn’t know until the very end, but this book took place even before Kyrian’s story! It was cool to see a bit more of some “behind the scenes” type things, though it did make me a little choked up when I got to the part about Nick and his mother…