The Silver Coin (Coins: Book Two): Andrea Kane

"All her life, Breanna Colby has lived on the precipice of fear, her only joy the recent reunion with her beloved cousin, Anastasia.  With her violent father now locked away in jail, the repressed young woman can emerge from her cocoon and pursue all the joys she's been denied.  But she finds--to her terror--that not all the shadows have lifted, and an evil from the past stalks both her and Anastasia.  When authorities are unable to help with this assassin lurking in the darkness, the Colbys turn to the brilliant, unconventional Royce Chadwick, England's foremost expert on finding people who don't want to be found.

"Hard, detached Royce has always been a loner who operates by his own set of rules.  He has little patience for weakness.  Delicate Breanna Colby is an eye-opener to him, for beneath her fragile exterior lies a core of steel.  As the two face overwhelming danger side by side, Royce discovered a woman he never dreamed existed--one who, despite his cynicism, he is losing his heart to.  But their future together can never be--not unless Royce kills the assassin before the assassin kills them."

Having sped through the first in this two book series, The Gold Coin, I was eager to pick up the second and see what happens in Brianna's story.  Lucky for me, I happened to have this one sitting on my shelf as well!  After such an explosive ending to the Stacie's story, I couldn't wait to see what the aftermath looked like.  What sort of fallout came of Stacie and Breanna thwarting the assassin?  What would life be like for Breanna now that she was finally free of her violent, vindictive father?

The story takes place shortly after Breanna's twenty-first birthday -- just a few months after the conclusion of Stacie's book.  Breanna has been working on organizing the construction of Stacie and Damen's new home on the grounds of Medford Manor.  She excitedly anticipates their return from their honeymoon trip to America where they were able to oversee their new banking venture.  However, the joy is not to last.

A mysterious package arrives at Medford Manor.  It it addressed only to Stacie.  And it contains mutilated dolls which bear an uncanny resemblance to Stacie and Breanna, as well as an explicit threat.  Though Breanna takes the dolls to Bow Street, there is little they can do for her.  They are spread far too thin as it is with a slew of odd murders and disappearances amongst the ton.  Stacie realizes Bow Street will be of no help and she must figure out how to handle the threat on her own.  It seems as if the assassin whose finger she shot off when she thwarted his attempted murder of Stacie has come back to England.  Not only does he seek revenge for his mutilated hand, he wants Breanna to suffer.  A brilliant villain, he knows the best way to do this is to go for her weak underbelly.  He intends to make her watch Stacie die before he then kills Breanna.  The stakes become all the more desperate when Stacie and Damen return from their trip and announce that Stacie is expecting.  Not only does Breanna have to worry about keeping her beloved cousin safe from the assassin's gun, she now has an unborn child to consider.

Ever the devoted husband and soon-to-be-father, Damen is determined to do everything in his power to keep his family safe.  He calls upon an old friend, Royce Chadwick, to help track down the mysterious assassin before he can pull the trigger.  The depth and breadth of the assassin's depravity is astounding.  He is brilliant and fearless...but Royce must be even more cunning if he is to save the life of the woman he has come to love.

What follows is an intense game of cat and mouse which kept me on the edge of my seat.  I swear I was drowning in anxiety the entire time I read this book!  Kane does such a brilliant job with creating palpable tension and moving the plot along.  There was nothing stagnant about this book.  I was as desperate as the characters to see what the assassin would do next, when and where he would strike.  The plot was brilliant and the assassin was terrifying.  It was an impossible situation, especially when Kane did such a great job of closing any loopholes and avenues Stacie and Breanna may have had to escape the fate intended for them.

I enjoyed seeing Breanna come into her own in this story, but she did still seem to remain true to the character we saw in the first book.  She is soft-spoken and seems fragile, but it hides a quick intelligence and strong soul.  This is what causes Royce to fall for her.  He was adamant from the very beginning that he detests weakness and shows of tears.  It is no wonder he is impressed when he meets Breanna and finds no wilting flower.  However.  I will say that this was just about all I could come up with as to why Royce fell for her.  There wasn't much from his perspective in regards to this transition (though we did see inside his mind a great deal more than we did Damen's in the first book), so it wound up feeling like a bit more of a leap than it should have.  In fact, it actually suspended escape into the story quite a bit.  The same went for Breanna's attraction to Royce.  We saw that she was physically attracted to him, but what else was there?  I suppose I wanted a bit more about about why and how they fell in love to make this a tad bit more believable.  It could have been as simple as showing some interactions between them which weren't all about tracking down the assassin.  Their coming together and declarations of love felt far more abrupt than they probably should have been.

I enjoyed seeing more of Damen and Stacie, though I will say that they felt a little bit "hollow."  Damen was reduced to a stereotypical overly-protective husband.  I wanted to see his quick mind and wit.  Stacie was more reserved as well.  I might attribute this to her wanting to protect her unborn child and experiencing the woes of the first trimester, but I can't blame it fully on that.  I realize they were not the center of attention in this book, but I wanted to see the glimmer of their characters here as well.

The chapters from the assassin's perspective were brilliant.  I loved how dark and sinister they felt and I truly enjoyed seeing the way his mind worked.  He really was an evil genius adept in terrorizing his victims to their cores.  Kane shielded him perfectly and I had no idea who he was until the characters did.

The overall plot was extremely complex and far grander than I could have imagined.  This book clearly took an extraordinary amount of work and planning to execute.  For this, I commend Kane.  She wrote brilliantly and kept me interested from the very first page.  I waited for the final confrontation with a tremendous amount of anticipation.  I suppose I wanted a bit more than I was given when it came to revealing the assassin, but I suppose it all worked out for the best.

As a minor note (which I hope doesn't give too much away), I did find the very last chapter to be a tad bit too "Brady Bunch" for my personal tastes.  I'm sure not everyone will feel this way, but I did feel the need to mention it.

Overall, I did like this series quite a bit.  I enjoyed the blend of romance, mystery, and suspense.  I was never bored and, for the most part, I found the characters to be interesting and the style to be captivating.  I made a few notes about the romance between the male and female leads in each of these books, but these are by no means deal breakers.  I recommend this series to any lover of romance who is looking to liven up their reading material!

The Gold Coin (Coins: Book One): Andrea Kane

"As children, identical cousins Anastasia and Breanna Colby swore always to protect each other.  Now that Anastasia's beloved parents have died, she has come to live with Breanna...and Breanna's father, whose raging temper has locked his daughter into a life of fear.  What is more, Anastasia soon realizes that her uncle is involved in a sinister scheme that places both young women in deadly danger.  Fearing most of all for her cousin, Anastasia turns to the only help she can think of, the man who holds the reins to her considerable fortune--the fascinating, enigmatic Damen Lockewood, Marquess of Sheldrake.

"From the moment Anastasia and Damen meet, blazing passion flares between them.  But in the face of overwhelming peril--and threats on Anastasia's life--thoughts of love cannot be indulged.  Not unless the mystery that entraps them is solved will they at last be able to pursue the future their feelings command them to share.  But is the danger stalking them really gone?"

Andrea Kane is a new author on my list.  I've had a few of her books sitting amongst my collection for quite a few years, but this is the first that I've picked up.  I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  I don't know if I initially realized that there was more to this story than a romance novel, but it quickly became apparent that there was far more to this book than I'd believed.

We are first introduced to young Stacie (Anastasia) and Breanna as they make their first decision to trade places in an effort to save Breanna from getting into trouble with her father.  Being that their fathers are twins and their mothers, sisters, the cousins' auburn hair and jade-green eyes are so similar that there is no one who can tell them apart -- not even their own parents.  This sparks a pact between them which will much later become an integral part of their survival.  That evening, they are pulled aside by their grandfather and given some very special, very secret gifts:  For Stacie, a gold coin; silver for Breanna.  He tells them that they must keep them safe and never under any circumstances present them to anyone.  Though they are young, the girls take his words to heart.  Little do they know what an impact those coins will make upon their lives.

Years pass and Stacie returns to England after having moved to Pennsylvania with her parents soon after that night when she and Breanna had first switched identities.  Both of her parents have died and she returns to the beloved home shortly after her grandfather's own death.  Her uncle, Breanna's father, is now Viscount Medford.  It is clear that he has taken to running his family's company and lording power over his daughter.  With their grandfather gone, Breanna's world had shrunk to the size of Medford Manor.  Both girls are overjoyed at being reunited, but there is a sinister undercurrent at Medford Manor which unnerves Stacie and causes her concern for her beloved cousin.

Her fears grow when she witnesses just how sheltered and locked away Breanna has been all these years.  Part of the reason appears to be that Medford has his eye on Damen Lockwood, Marquess of Sheldrake, as a future son-in-law.  Not only is Damen incredibly brilliant and wealthy, his family is renowned for its credibility and standing in the financial world.  No doubt this has played into Uncle George's desire to bring Damen into his family.  His greed and lust for power was never a secret; in fact, it was one of the things which drove a wedge between the Colby men for many decades.  Though between them lies an even darker secret which Stacie's father carried to his grave, Breanna knows not of, and George has allowed to fester in the dark hole in which his heart should have existed.

It is clear that the new Viscount Medford is furious at being kept away from Stacie and Breanna's inheritances, and that Stacie is now owner of her father's share of the family shipping company.  He hadn't anticipated having a woman as a business associate, let alone one as outspoken and meddlesome as his niece.  He can only hope that Damen, the man wisely named as custodian of Stacie's inheritance, will keep her from making any foolish financial decisions and squandering away the money before Medford can find a way to get his hands on it.

Little do Medford and Damen know that Stacie is far more than she first appears.  Having inherited her sense of business and learned financial savviness from her father, Stacie is thrilled to finally be able to have a part in the family business.  What she hadn't counted on, however, was having to answer to a man such as Damen when it came to spending those funds -- at least until her twenty-first birthday.  At first, she finds Damen to be cold and far too observant.  He thwarts her attempts to invest in what she believes to be a brilliant financial opportunity and she does everything she can in order to realize her dreams.  Her determination is what eventually draws Damen to her.

Damen is far too busy to play custodian to this Americanized young woman, Lady Anastasia Colby.  He has many more pressing matters to attend to, a bank to run, and investments to manage...still, he finds himself spending more and more time with her under the guise of discussing her inheritance.  He doesn't expect her to brazenly approach other potential investors at her coming out party after he turns her down.  He's drawn to her fiery personality, her rapier wit, and her enthralling beauty.  It would seem that she is the only woman in the world who could entice him to mix business with pleasure.

As Damen and Stacie become closer, Medford starts to see the threads of his careful plot begin to unravel. No one realizes the depth of his debt and the strength of his determination to not lose everything.  He will stop at nothing to win everything back.  Even if it means sacrificing what little family he has left.  Greed has blinded him and driven him to the edge of sanity.  It becomes apparent that Medford is involved in something very dangerous, very dark, and very illegal.  His desperation could very well put Stacie and Breanna's lives in jeopardy if he isn't stopped in time...

I found the undercurrent of romance between Damen and Stacie to be quite enjoyable.  It wasn't as overt as a "true" romance novel, but there was just enough to put this solidly in the romance genre.  I liked the progression of it, which flowed rather well with the complex plot.  However, I will say that I felt like I needed more from Damen's point of view.  A vast majority of this book was from Stacie's perspective (or Medford's, but I'll get into that later) and I wanted to know more about how Damen fell so hard and so fast for Stacie.  He was such a logical, methodical character that there had to be something rather extraordinary going on in his mind to make this happen.  We got very few chapters from Damen's point of view, and I would have very much liked to have seen at least several more.  I'm much more used to a more equitable division of perspective.  What was different from the more traditional romance genre was that the characters declared love rather quickly and rather easily.  Once it hit them, they didn't resist or hide it; they accepted it and moved on with plans to make a future as best as they could.  This felt a little bit off to me, but it could have been simply because I'm so used to characters having to work through more issues in their relationship.  Of course, Damen and Stacie had many other obstacles they needed to overcome...

I mentioned that a portion of this book is told from Medford's perspective.  I found this to be an excellent tactic.  It was a great way to create tension and also expose the readers to his descent into desperation and madness.  It was dark and disturbing at times, but it definitely created a great villain for the mystery/suspense portion of this story.  Medford was a selfish, greedy, hateful man -- and we never would have known the depths of his depravity were we readers not privy to his inner thoughts.

I read this book rather quickly despite its length, which I find to be a good testament to its readability.  I liked the strong characters and captivating plot.  Stacie was intelligent and outspoken while Breanna was an excellent foil to her more brazen cousin.  I did enjoy seeing Breanna come into her own as the story moved along and I looked forward to seeing more of her in her own book.  I found Damen to be witty and charming, impressively intelligent and wise beyond his years.  He was an excellent male lead; I just wanted a bit more insight into the workings of his very interesting mind.

I definitely recommend this book to those seeking to branch out a bit from straight "romance."  This can add a bit of variety into your reading without too much culture shock.  The sense of danger fairly dripped from every page and kept me wanting to read more...so much so that I've actually already finished the second book in this pair!

Rendezvous: Amanda Quick

"From the elegantly appointed drawing rooms of London's most exclusive club to an imposing country estate in the heart of Dorset comes a provocative tale of a free-thinking beauty, a dignified lord, and a man, impetuous love that defied all logic...

"Augutsta Ballinger was quite sure that it was all a dreadful mistake.  The chillingly pompous and dangerously disturbing Earl of Graystone could not possibly wish to marry her.  Why, it was rumored that his chosen bride must be a veritable model of virtue.  And everyone knew that Augusta, as the last of the wild, reckless Northumberland Ballingers, was a woman who could not be bothered by society's rules.

"That was why the spirited beauty had planned a midnight encounter to warn the earl off, to convince him that she would make him a very poor wife indeed.  But when she crawled in through his darkened study window, Augusta only succeeded in strengthening Harry's resolve:  to kiss the laughter from those honeyed lips and teach this maddening miss to behave!  How could he possibly know that it was he who was in for a lesson...as his brazen fiancee set out to win his heart--and an old and clever enemy stepped in to threaten their love, their honor, and their very lives?"

This is another little gem by Amanda Quick!  Despite my busy schedule, I read this one in only a matter of days.  The pacing was excellent and the plot was exceedingly entertaining.  I found the characters to be as charming as the plot, which helped to keep me wanting more.

Augusta is a spirited female lead who is beyond proud of her roots.  She knows everyone is aware that she comes from the reckless side of the Ballinger family, and she takes this as license to do much as she pleases.  Though she is very intelligent and as educated as she is forward-thinking, this does not stop her from enjoying the finer things womanhood has to offer.  Her love of entertaining and pretty clothing is a nice touch when so many authors choose to forego this aspect of a female lead's personality in favor of a much more "scholarly" appeal.  Why can't a woman want reform and recognition for women's accomplishments and also enjoy beautiful things?!  Augusta's quick temper and wit get her into a number of scrapes, but they also attract a very surprising suitor.

Suffering from the hidden scars of his first marriage as well as the weariness following the Napoleonic Wars, Harry, Earl of Graystone, is a man of many mysteries; perhaps the biggest of which is just why he chooses Augusta Ballinger as his bride!  By all accounts, she is the last thing he should desire.  She can be immodest and wild, a bit to outspoken and prone to harebrained schemes, but she possesses that which Harry prizes most in the world:  unfailing honesty and loyalty.  Despite her assurances that she will make him a terrible wife, Harry is determined to wed Augusta and have her as his Countess.  Little do either of them know that the other is exactly what they need in their respective lives.

Both Harry and Augusta have secrets of their own, but everything must come to light when an enemy comes around seeking to cause their newlywed bliss to come crashing down and destroy all they hold dear...

Their spark is enjoyable and enlivened by both of their tempers and differing attitudes.  I enjoyed the romance and it felt fairly natural between the two of them.  I will concede that the first "encounter" felt a bit early and a bit too "acceptable" for Augusta -- a woman who, up until that point, had managed to remain pure and virtuous despite her reputation.  She seemed to fall into Harry's arms a bit too easily, despite her silent admission that she'd always been attracted to him.  I also do believe I'd mentioned this in another of my reviews, but Harry's physical appearance was very much glossed over.  I'm pretty sure we got literally one or two sentences about him in the beginning of the book.  It was fairly forgettable and I had to draw my own mental picture as I read on.  I wanted to "see" him a bit more than I did.  I do feel like Augusta had more to her description, but it was still a bit lacking compared to what I am used to.

Overall, I found this book to be very enjoyable and I look forward to reading more of Quick's works.

The Rake's Inherited Courtesan: A Scandalous Bequest: Ann Lethbridge

"HIS OUTRAGEOUS MISTRESS..

"Daughter of a Parisian courtesan, Sylvia Boisette longs for respectability, though gossips say she is nothing more than a gentleman's paramour.  Now, with her guardian dead, she finds herself in a shocking situation...

"Christopher Everden is appalled by his uncle's will--Madamoiselle Boisette is now his courtesan!  Although his body responds to Sylvia's tempting sensuality, he knows he should rid himself of his disreputable charge.  But, surprisingly, Sylvia has a vulnerability to match her exceptional beauty.  Perhaps his inherited mistress could become his rightful bride!"

The title to this book does not do it justice.  As the saying goes, I caution you to not judge this book by its cover (or title); there is far more to this story than meets the eye and I was certainly pleasantly surprised.

Readers immediately encounter young Sylvia at the reading of the will of her former protector and guardian.  Everyone else in attendance seems to presume the rumors to be true:  Mr. John Everden took a very much younger Parisian woman as his mistress, installed her in his household...and then willed her to his youngest nephew.  Sylvia had been well cared for under Mr. Everden's care for many years and she had been led to believe that now she would make her own way in the world.  That is, until the will reveals that her care -- and what little money she is to receive -- lies in the hand's of Mr. Everden's nephew, Christopher.  He is, perhaps, even less excited about the situation than she.  Surely his uncle had been addled!  How dare he insist upon such a scandalous arrangement?  Wasn't it bad enough that he'd been dragging the Everden name through the mud housing this young courtesan for so many years, now he had to saddle Christopher with her and charge him with her care?  Unfortunately for Christopher, he cannot find a way out of the arrangement.  Every chance he has to try to rid himself of Miss Boisette runs aground.  Then again...the more time he spends in his presence, the less sure he is that he really wants to be rid of her forever...  Their journey takes them across England, through London, and even back across the Channel to the place of Sylvia's birth.  Christopher learns there is far more to Sylvia than he'd first been led to believe and he comes to realize that Sylvia is far more innocent than the first impression she'd presented.  Meanwhile, Christopher teaches Sylvia that she is worthy of respect and trust and, just maybe, even love.  But, with a dark and tragic past such as her own, how can Sylvia possibly allow a good and honorable man such a Christopher to lower himself to include her in his life?  Surely she will never be accepted and she cannot allow his sterling reputation to suffer.  Unfortunately for the two of them, there may not be time for them to sort through their complex attraction.  There is an unknown evil lurking in the shadows, stalking Miss Boisette everywhere she goes.  A very powerful man wants Sylvia to disappear from English shores, even if that means locking her away in France and immersing her in the hellish life she'd once escaped long ago.

Sylvia was an intelligent female lead.  She was immensely brave, quick-witted, and eloquent.  I enjoyed the realism of her unwillingness to let just anyone into her life, especially given the sad circumstances of her upbringing.  She rode the fine line between looking out for herself (as one would expect from a woman who grew up as she did) and being selfless for those she loved.  She, however, also recognized that there were certain things she could not change about herself and certain things which would never be accepted.  She'd learned how to play to some of those assumptions (as evidenced in her first private meeting with Christopher), and also how to recognize when she was in over her head.  This came into play in her relationship with Christopher on numerous occasions and I found it all endearing and excellent characterization.

Christopher as a male lead was wonderful.  He was kind and caring, but not overly soft; and I definitely appreciated that his backstory made sense as far as this aspect of his personality.  He was also strong, brave, intelligent, and had strong morals...and more than a bit handsome if we go off of Sylvia's impressions of him.  What more could a girl want?!  He will go to any lengths to protect his family and those he loves -- even if that means crossing the Channel in pursuit of a certain kidnapped French girl and going undercover to retrieve her from the clutches of a ruthless Madame.  Christopher knows that Sylvia will never be safe until the discover who is behind all of this...and the answer to that question could very well turn Sylvia's whole world upside down.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.  The first few chapters started off a little bit slowly.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I think I placed a lot on what conclusions I was going to come to once I saw more of Sylvia.  Exactly how archetypal would she be?  A reformed fallen angel?  A misunderstood courtesan?  Something else entirely?  Thank goodness she was the latter because I don't think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much.  I found the spark between Sylvia and Christopher to be excellent. It didn't drive the entire plot (which was nice and seemed to stay true to both of their personal motivations and personalities), but was a satisfying undercurrent of dare-we-act-dare-we-not.  Once the passion and desire between the two of them finally comes to a head, I must say that their chemistry was delightful.  I very much enjoyed Lethbridge's writing.  Do note that she is an English writer, so some of the words and formatting are decidedly "unAmerican."  I found that I didn't mind this, though, and it was actually easier to believe the characters to be English because of this.  I thought her sense of place was lovely.  It drew me into the story and I was utterly absorbed in the scenes.  This book truly turned out to be a gem on my shelves and I absolutely look forward to reading more of Lethbridge in the future.

Viking Warrior: Connie Mason

 

"He would never forgive

"After a brutal attack on his farmstead, Wulfric the Ruthless had sworn vengeance on the Danish raiders for killing his young wife.  But when he laid eyes on Reyna the Dane, all he could see was a woman of extraordinary beauty, with flowing hair the color of moonlight and a body and Valkyrie would envy.  She was his thrall, gifted to him by his brother to warm his bed.  Could this beautiful healer also was the fire burning in his heart?

"She would never forget

"Stolen from her home by wild Norsemen, Reyna would always remember the face of the barbarian who'd destroyed her life.  When she first caught sight of her new master, she thought he was the very man he'd vowed to hate forever.  But Wolf's golden body and seductive kisses awoke very different feelings within her.  As one deliciously long Northern night blended into another, she realized he was no longer her enemy but her beloved..."

I used to adore Connie Mason.  My shelves are filled with her books since she's such a prolific writer.  This is the first one of her books I've read in quite some time...and I hate to admit that I was not over-the-moon about this book...

To begin, I felt like we came into the book after a lot of things had already happened which would have helped further the characterization.  Don't get me wrong; I fully understand that a great deal DID happen before this book began.  What I mean is I always felt like something was missing -- as if we lacked some information or set up to fully comprehend motivations or personality quirks.  I don't know how else to explain it other than I felt like something was not there and I felt like it should have been; like we were expected to understand certain things about the characters, but couldn't because the book had just begun.  The characters did develop and we learned more as the story went on, of course, but they were more so developed on the surface rather than with deeply-individual personality traits.  There wasn't all that much that was special about them.  Wulf was a stereotypical viking.  Reyna was a free woman-turned-slave at the hands of the man who had helped overrun her village in a blind act of rage and vengeance.  Her one unique trait was her healing knowledge.  We didn't learn much more about their characters:  they had no likes or dislikes, no defining characteristics which would set them apart in my mind from any other characters in a romance novel set in this time and place.  I longed for more!  I wanted to love them.  I wanted to be enthralled with their chemistry and their spark.  I just wasn't.  There was so little beyond their physical attraction (which felt extremely abrupt on Wulf's part, in my opinion) that it felt lacking.  Sure, each character had some admirable characteristics, but nothing above and beyond what one would expect in order to make a character simply "likable."  There was little to endear them to me.

I looked forward to a great deal of character development.  How would Reyna overcome her fear of males after her abuse and her hatred of the man whom she viewed as the cause of all her pain?  How would Wulf balance his attraction to Reyna as his thrall and the knowledge that she was still, above all, a Dane -- the breed he'd sworn to hate after the vicious attack and murder of his wife and unborn child?  It would seem that physical attraction can override a lot of deep, terrible emotions...  Granted, Wulf helped to clear up some misunderstandings with Reyna, but I didn't see why his sins should be absolved so cleanly.  I think all of this goes back to the lack of character development.  I believe it may have been sacrificed for sheer quantity of intimate scenes.  There were so many that I started to lose interest ("Oh, there they go again...").  Not to mention, they all became rather repetitive -- so much so that I was practically begging Wulf to show of some different moves!  (That last one is probably a really petty observation from my own personal tastes, but it is what it is.)

Perhaps one of the biggest issues I took wit this book was the language.  The use of modern turns of phrase and slang were numerous and jarring.  They truly ripped me out of losing myself in the book and caused me to struggle with suspending my belief.  Using "'tis" over and over again is all fine and well until you try juxtapose it to something like "adding spice to your life," or some other such phrase.

The book had a great deal of potential and I went into it with such high hopes.  All of my past reviews of Connie Mason were simply glowing (other than my observation that she seems to have found a good formula for a romance novel and tends to use it over and over again).  I was so hoping this one would be counted amongst one of the better ones.  Alas, it was not to be.  I found the characters flat and the plot a bit drawn out.  I thought some of the setting descriptions were well done and transported me into the scenes quite well.  Other than that, I do not believe I will be rereading this one again and it has already been stacked on my "to be donated" pile.

Lady Midnight: Amanda McCabe

"A courtesan in training

"Everyone that Katerina held tea has perished in a tempest off the coast of Italy.  With not a penny to her name, the once-moneyed Venetian lady knows she must travel far to forge a new life.  No one would ever accept her if they learned that her mother was Lucrezia Bruni, the infamous courtesan breeding young Katerina to fill her shoes someday....

"A governess in hiding

"Still mourning his late wife, Michael Lindley knows life must go on--and that his little sister and daughter need a woman's nurturing.  When a dark-eyed beauty alights on his doorstep claiming to be a widowed governess, Michael feels a fire rekindled in him that he thought had been snuffed out long ago.  And in Katerina, who thought her capacity to love had gone down with the ship, there flares a yearning that only Michael can subdue.

"A woman in danger--and in love...

"But as they give in to the desire that knows no words, a stealthy enemy plots his revenge--and their newborn passion must undergo  the ultimate test...."

I decided to test the waters with a new author from my shelves upon shelves of unread reading material.  This one is a standalone novel (according to FantasticFiction.com) and it seemed like a very good place to start.

The overall premise of the plot was interesting.  Having an foreign character attempting to hide her past and insinuate herself amongst a well-off English family as set starts a new life for herself was a captivating idea.  It brought some variety to a genre which so often remains relatively similar, despite characters having vastly different personalities.  I think Katerina's background brought an excellent facet to her character and created some interesting internal dialogue.  I also feel the way in which she was written felt very realistic (i.e. how she struggled with intimacy and confused/ resisted her emotions toward men) given her upbringing.  Her connections to Michael's daughter and sister felt so genuine and warm.  I liked how she had to figure out her role as governess along the way, as well as how she had to form her new persona.  The struggles she overcame during her adaptation felt realistic and certainly added to her character (and the shine I took to her).

Michael's own past was rather well-crafted as well.  The tragic loss of his wife and his physical/emotional scars served to create a powerful male lead with a strong sense of self and good motivation to remain on the straight and narrow.  His family is his world and the comfortable household he's formed create a sort of bubble away from the temptations of his former life.  He's essentially created a haven for his family...but something is missing.  That something turns out to be a beautiful, mysterious Italian governess.  While "Kate Brown" seems to be everything his family needs, he can't help but believe there is something far more to this lovely young woman; he sees it in her unconsciously-sensual movements and her carefully crafted backstory.  Despite his belief that there is more to her story than meets the eye, Michael finds himself enticed by Kate's dark beauty and penchant for fantasy.

The sensual heat and tension between the leads is quite enjoyable!  Both are torn between their respective difficult pasts and the enticements of the present.  When they finally decide to act upon their simmering desires, a whole new world if possibilities is opened up to them.  The lines between employer and governess become blurred and Kate realizes that she would do absolutely anything to keep Michael and his family in her new life.

Unfortunately for Kate, her past is not as dead and buried as she'd believed.  A specter comes to haunt her and puts at risk everything for which she's worked so hard.  Does she tell Michael her deepest secrets or risk them coming to light on their own?  Will he cast her out and destroy any chance of love and a new life?  Will her past drag her back to the life of charades and false pretenses, forcing her to bury the spark of self-awareness and individuality she's come to cultivate during her precious time on the untamed moors?

I found the plot very interesting and fairly well-paced.  I might take away a few points because there was a bit of a drag during some of the midway points of the story where the plot slowed a touch, but it was nothing terrible.  The characters were likable and interesting because each had his or her own obstacles to overcome above and beyond the typical "falling for an unsuitable man/woman and resisting it."  I will say that I wanted a bit more romance once Kate and Michael decided to act upon their affections.  There was so much build up with the heat between them that I wanted more.  The supporting characters were drawn in very interesting forms as well.  Christina, in particular, was quite fascinating.  She seemed to really come into her own toward the end of the book and it made me wonder if, in fact, this is not a standalone novel and Christina might possibly have her own story.  I would definitely read it!

Fire Song: Catherine Archer

"The Wrong Bride

"To the dashing Roland St. Sebastian, a king-decreed marriage to the biddable daughter of his enemy was bad enough...but when the blushing bride turned out to be her spitfire sister, Meredyth, Roland's wrath was boundless.  And though the redheaded vixen's kisses drove him nearly mad with yearning, he wondered if he would ever learn to tryst her--or if he was destined to live a life of loneliness with the woman he loved."

Hello and Happy New Year!  I'm starting off 2021 with a period romance novel review.  Catherine Archer was a new author for me (another book pulled from my overflowing collection of unread books), so I was looking forward to trying something new after working my way through several Amanda Quick novels.  I have often struggled with period romances set so far back in time (1200s, to be exact), probably because I know for a fact how damn hard life was for them.  Knights in shining armor and castles and Crusades all sound glamorous, but life was horrible for most; even many of the better-off lived in questionable conditions (to say nothing of the hygiene).  I know I'm reading far too much into this time period, but I can't help it.  Coupled with all of this, the mentalities were so vastly different from what we know.  The men in these types of books are often rough and a bit too domineering for my tastes.  They lack a sense of respect for the female leads and, in turn, the female leads have to be overwhelmingly headstrong and outspoken in order to make dent in the mentalities of the times.  This can sometimes be a bit too much for me.  Archer managed to dance along this line fairly well and better than some other authors I've read with books set in this time and place.  Roland was intriguing and attractive.  I found his personality to be strong, but not abusive toward Meredyth, despite his distaste for women after what his mother had put his family through.  He knew his role in the world and his marriage; he wasn't afraid to exercise his power, but he stopped just short of becoming and overbearing brute a time or two.  Had he stepped over that line, however, I probably wouldn't have cared for him.  Meredyth went back and forth from being the selfless, soft woman born to help others, to a sharp-tongued shrew who was far too headstrong for her own good.  She had quite a few redeeming qualities and I found a great amount of sympathy for her because of her backstory, but she frustrated me on many occasions.  I found her to be a tad too strong willed for a woman of her position.  She had been raised to care for her family's household and to put her sister first, caring for her above all others because Celeste was seen as more "delicate" by their father.  A woman who was so used to being in her sister's shadow and working (unappreciated) on things behind the scenes would surely not have been so forward with Roland.  Of course, this is all personal opinion and many may not agree with my assessment.  I just found the duality of her personality to be a bit too contrary.

Overall, I really enjoyed the premise of the plot.  Celeste is ordered by the king to wed Roland in an effort to stop the feuding of their families once and for all.  In a desperate move, Meredyth disguises herself and is wed to Roland in Celeste's place.  Upon realizing that he has ben tricked, of course, Roland is incensed and believes it to be a final trick played upon him by his old enemy, Meredyth and Celeste's father.  He finds out that the women were the masterminds and he decides he has no choice to honor his marriage to Meredyth and they must begin their lives as man and wife.  Poor Meredyth realizes she's gotten in far over her head with this latest attempt to help Celeste.  No sooner does she realize the gravity of the situation then she's swept away from the only home she has ever known and thrust into Roland's own unruly household filled with staff and villagers who have nothing but animosity for her family.  Not only this, but she must grapple with a new husband who did not choose her, who has a mighty distrust for women, and who butts heads with her attitude.  I did like the chemistry between Roland and Meredyth.  They had a nice spark and the tension between them seemed palpable.  However.  I found the "romance" to be a bit lacking in variation.  I don't know if it's because this book is "older" (as in, I read the 10th Anniversary print and the copyright date is 1998...) or if it's a style choice, but it was all a bit more tame and each scene felt like a rewrite of the same thing over and over again.  (Probably WAY too much TMI, but does Roland not know any other way to pleasure a woman than to touch her breasts and use his "member"?!?  I feel like I need to refer him to Monica from "Friends" -- my apologies if you don't get the reference, but I promise it's a good one.)

I will say another area in which I struggled a bit was the inner dialogue.  Almost the entire book seemed to take place in Roland's and Meredyth's minds!  There was a remarkable lack of actual dialogue.  I think this made it feel like the story dragged on far longer than it needed to.  Since so much took place within their minds, there was very little action for a majority of the story.  I think this is part of the reason that the last few chapters felt a bit rushed.  There was so much build up with their respective inner musings and indecision that everything moved so very quickly once actual action occurred.  The conclusion of the book was a bit too "Brady Bunch" for me.  I like a satisfying ending; and this doesn't mean it has to be all happiness and rainbows.  It was tied up a bit too neatly for my tastes and it felt a bit sudden.  There wasn't even an epilogue where we were given a taste of what life was like after the conflict resolution.  I think the addition of an epilogue might have made me a bit happier in this particular instance just because it all ended up feeling so rushed.

I will say that this was an easy, quick read.  I liked reading a new author and I liked this one better than others set in 1200s England.  There were some imperfections and some things fell a bit short, but I didn't dislike the book.  I'm tempted to read more by Catherine Archer in the future.

Wait Until Midnight: Amanda Quick

"Gentle Reader,

"It could have been a scene from one of my novels.  As a rule, respectable ladies do not accept calls from Mysterious Gentlemen on business of the most grave importance--but I confess that I was possessed of lively curiosity.  The past three years had been so determinedly dull, I hoped My. Adam Hardesty would offer a tiny respite from it.  Indeed, upon first glance, Mr. Hardesty had such a formidable, thrilling presence, he quickly became the model for the villain in the sensation novel I was currently writing.

"Imagine my shock and distress then, them Mr. Hardesty accused me of being party to a plot of murder, blackmail, and general villainy!  I knew nothing of such occurrences, and proclaimed my innocence.  Unfortunately, Mr. Hardesty left unconvinced, and I had an uneasy feeling over what his search would uncover.  You see, Gentle Reader, though I live a most uneventful life now, my past contained a Great Scandal that would be ruinous if resurrected.  To protect my secrets from Mr. Hardesty's investigation, I concluded that I would need to conduct an inquiry of my own, and if that meant sharing my findings with Mr. Hardesty, so be it.  And my course of action had nothing whatsoever to do with the illicit, passionate feelings that he aroused in me--feelings that propriety would definitely frown upon...

"Yours most sincerely,

"Caroline Fordyce"

Here's yet another one to add to my Amanda Quick kick as I pick my way through my sizable "to be read" pile (or, more aptly, my "to be read shelf" now that my husband has finally gotten around to hanging the shelves in my office!).  According to fantasticfiction.com, this is a standalone novel.  I can see, however, how this could have been a series when you incorporate some of the secondary characters from Adam Hardesty's family.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find several connected stories amongst her voluminous resume.

I have noticed a trend for the supernatural in each of the books I've read by Quick.  While this can be a dime a dozen in this genre, I find her take a bit more refreshing in its realism.  The books seem to have characters fascinated with the supernatural, yet the underlying current is one of skepticism which manages to ground the readers rather than whisk them away on a fanciful cloud.  There's nothing wrong with this cloud, per se, but if that is what you're looking for with Quick, then I must say that I have yet to find it.  Her characters are worldly and far more grounded than others I've found in more supernatural stories.  This lands Quick's works solidly in the middle between realistic and paranormal -- an interesting place to be for those readers who aren't too fond of paranormal or supernatural, and yet they desire something with a bit more intrigue than a typical book of this genre.  Indeed, I feel that her books might even lean toward mystery in that aspect.  Her characters always seem to be on the hunt to uncover a secret, solve a crime or murder, or generally involve themselves in rather risky situations.  This lends an air of excitement to her works; Wait Until Midnight was no exception.  I found the pacing quite good and all of the secondary characters to be well-formed and beneficial to the plot and character development.  The murder, mystery, and nefarious plots moved the story along and kept me interested from the first page.

We are introduced to Adam Hardesty as he examines the scene of a horribly violent crime.  Someone has murdered a woman who proclaimed to be a medium.  In the all the obsession with the paranormal which marked the Victorian Era in England, was this woman murdered by a vengeful spirit from the Other Side, or was a more worldly rage her downfall -- perhaps there was an unhappy sitter at one of her recent seances?  This leads Adam to the home of Caroline Fordyce, noted author of serial sensationalist novels.  Being far more worldly and practical, Adam has not heard of Mrs. Fordyce prior to their meeting; however, he soon realizes that he'll not soon forget her.

Caroline Fordyce is taken in by curiosity as an obviously-wealthy stranger calls on her at an odd hour.  She knows he gives her a false name and his mysterious inquiries and accusations set off alarms in her head.  But there's something about this man which draws her to him.  In fact, she decides to use him as the inspiration for the villain her current novel.  By the time the man leaves, Caroline has realized that something horrible is afoot and, if she doesn't act quickly, the potential disaster could destroy everything she and her aunts had worked toward over the last several years.

Somewhat reluctantly, Caroline and Adam work together to uncover the truth behind the medium's gruesome murder -- and locate the diary which Adam knows contains secrets which could destroy his family and everything he'd achieved to secure them a safe place in the world.  Adam has secrets of his own which he must protect...but he finds himself willing to open up to the enticing, intelligent Mrs. Fordyce in a way that he never has before.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot.  There were many twists and turns which kept it fast-paced and captivating.  As far as the characters, themselves, I liked both Caroline and Adam well enough.  Caroline was interesting because she viewed so much of her world through an author's lens.  Adam felt slightly less-developed.  It wasn't until 3/4 of the way through the novel that it was mentioned how powerful and notoriously reserved he was...but if his name was so well-known then how had Caroline never heard of him?  I realize she didn't travel in the same social circles as Adam and his family, but there was a good amount of indication that he was someone to be recognized and he had a name which was more than a little bit well-known.  It was something I found a little bit odd.  I liked his history, as well as Caroline's past.  I think those lent them each their own unique flair.  As for the romance between them...I missed it a bit.  I don't believe there was enough build up of tension before they acted upon those impulses.  I love a bit of delicious torture, and I found it lacking a bit here in lieu of developing the very complex and mysterious grander plot thread.  There was little to no hesitation on Caroline's part when it came to sleeping with Adam.  There was no reason or explanation given for this either (not even a, "Well, he's hot and I'm not getting any younger!"), nor did she seem shy in the slightest.  I suppose I wanted her to be a bit more demure about it all.  I realize she was not who she claimed to be, but even her internal dialogue missed the mark.  Yet again, I also found the lack of physical descriptions of the characters throughout the book to be a bit sad.  I want to know more about their appearances than their clothing.  What were their features like?  The angle of their eyes, the length of their lashes, the shadow of a beard?  I want something to flesh them out a bit more.

I am still recommending this book, so please don't take my criticisms as a reason to stay away.  I'm merely making some observations and comparisons between Quick and some of the other authors I've read.  I enjoyed the book and cruised through it rather swiftly.  I believe this may be one of the last ones I own by Quick, so there may be an unintentional hiatus before I can obtain more.  Happy reading!

Mystique: Amanda Quick

 

"A tantalizing tale of a legendary knight and a headstrong lady whose daring quest for a mysterious crystal will draw them into a whirlwind of treachery--and desire.

"When the fearsome knight called Hugh the Relentless swept into Lingwood Manor like a storm, everyone cowered--except Lady Alice.  Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, the flame-haired beauty believed Sir Hug was not someone to dread but the answer to her dreams.  She knew he had come for the dazzling green crystal, knew he would be displeased to find that it was no longer in her possession.  Yet Alice had a proposition for the dark and forbidding knight:  In return for a dowry that would free Alice and her brother from their uncle's grasp, she would lend her powers of detection to his warrior's skills and together they would receive his treasured stone.  But even as High accepted her terms, he added a condition of his own: Lady Alice must agree to a temporary betrothal--one that would soon draw her deep into Hugh's great stone fortress, and into a battle that could threaten their lives...and their only chance at love."

This is yet another Amanda Quick novel which has sat upon my shelves unread for many years.  I really enjoyed another of her novels just prior to this one and enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd grab another of her stories from my shelf (or, rather, the floor of my office because my husband has yet to finish hanging shelves for me...).

I finished reading this book rather quickly.  The pacing was good and it kept me interested.  I wouldn't call it quite the page-turner "Dangerous" was, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.  I enjoyed the premise of a bastard knight seeking to bring honor to his family's history and finally have his own place in the world, yet he drags along with him an intelligent, whip-tongued young woman on a mission of her own.  Hugh brought a new facet to the knightly archetype.  He was neither entirely "black knight," but nor was he a straightforward "white knight."  He was known for his ruthless, relentless drive and skills on the battlefield; his dark coloring and penchant for wearing only black; and everyone knew of the venomous feud between Hugh and his father's family.  However, he was also intelligent (not just braun over brains), unfailingly true to his word, and honorable.  Alice was also a play on the typical headstrong, outspoken woman.  If anything, she was almost more outspoken than a great many of the other "headstrong" female leads I've encountered.  She seemed to suffer from a severe lack of manners or filter.  I can see how her struggles in life could have created this attitude, but it even made me cringe on several occasions.  I think this may be the reason why I didn't enjoy her as much as I could have.  By all accounts, Alice was extremely intelligent, capable, strong, and brave...but she also sometimes came across as crass or even petty -- especially once Hugh frees her from her uncle's care.

I did also notice a very definite trend in Quick's writing (maybe because I just so happened to read this one immediately after "Dangerous").  Both female leads were considered "odd," they were older sisters to younger brothers, orphans who felt they were in charge of finding their brothers better lots in life, and they fall in love with their male leads rather easily despite being so strong and seemingly content to be without a romantic relationship.  The male leads are both dark in coloring of their hair and clothing, as well as their attitudes and reputations, they're both bastards (or, at least, they're presumed to be) after their fathers become attracted to seemingly-unsuitable women who put them at odds with their families and their plans, their fathers have scorned fiancees, they each have a male first-cousin with whom they have a great amount of enmity, and they both have amber-colored eyes.  As you can see, there were a great many similarities in these plots and the development of these characters -- almost too many where it felt a bit "recycled."  To be fair, I think Quick found a formula which worked; I cannot really blame her for reusing it.  The different layers of history and current conflict create an interesting plot.  The strong personalities and opinions of her characters make for amusing and entertaining action.  What might have helped some differentiation between these stories (besides the very different eras in which they're set) would probably have been some better identifying characteristics of the male leads.  The female leads are fairly well-described; I felt like I could picture them.  The male leads...not so much.  Other than the color of his eyes, hair, and clothing, I got almost no sense of what Hugh looked like.  Did he have bold, stormy brows?  Was his nose slightly crooked from having been broken so many times in battle?  I longed to know more about Hugh's appearance and I think we missed out a lot on his characterization because of this.

I do feel like, overall, the plot was interesting.  Alice sometimes came off a bit unlikable, but I think she was a brave female lead.  I loved how she stuck up for her brother and for women in general (you'll have to read to find out what I mean -- I promise it's worth it).  I liked Hugh's multifaceted personality; however, I wanted a bit more of a description of him.  That left a bit of an unfortunate gap in a novel of this genre.  I liked the blend of realism and legend in this story.  I don't often read books set so far back in history (and I haven't often enjoyed all of them) mainly because I sometimes struggle with the living conditions and mentalities of these ages (even just a few centuries make a world of difference, believe it or not), but I did find this one enjoyable.  It was a quick read with pleasant pacing that kept the story moving along.  I liked the conflict and found the dialogue to be very in-character.  I do recommend this book, though not as much as I did my other recent Amanda Quick read.

Dangerous: Amanda Quick

"From a magnificent ballroom ablaze with lights to an imposing country house steeped in shadows comes a breathtaking tale go an impetuous miss--and a passion that leads to peril...

"At five and twenty, Prudence Merrywhether knew very well the risks a woman took by visiting a gentleman in the dead of night.  But bearding the notorious Earl of Angelstone in his den was the only way to stop him from engaging her hot-headed brother in a duel.  And that was why she found herself ushered into Sebastian's forbidding presence at three in the morning--and thoroughly kissed before dawn,

"She was a country-bred innocent--and an intriguing experience for a man who dwelt more in the shadows than in the sunshine.  Yet as her boldness drew Prue into one dangerous episode after another.  Sebastian found himself torn between a raging hunger to possess her and a driving need to protect her.  And the reckless beauty would soon need all the protection she could get..."

It has been about 11 years since I last read a book by Quick.  Do yourself a favor and don't go and read my old reviews...I did and they're painfully brief and none-too-detailed.  However, I did seem to enjoy her writing quite a bit.  Reading Quick was like a breath of fresh air after the book prior ended up taking me months to finish (no exaggeration).  I read this book in a matter of only a couple of days!  Basically, this book was everything you could want in a period romance novel.  The characters were fun, the plot was unique and intriguing, and I didn't want to put the book down.

The pacing of Quick's writing was much quicker than some other authors I've read, but it worked out quite well.  This book is proof that one does not need to write about every single event, every single moment, every single conversation the characters have in order to build a story and a relationship.  I thought she was quite clever in the way in which she chose to omit certain days and events and, instead, opted to backtrack a little bit in her characters' musings and conversations as a way to "fill in the blanks."  I think this kept the pacing fun and made the story move along at an interesting clip.  Along these lines, the dialogue was witty and amusing.  I really enjoyed the back and forth between Sebastian and Prue; they were well-matched and entertaining together.

As a male lead, I found Sebastian secret hobby a great depart from the usual "black devil, evil lord of darkness" archetype which occurs so often in this genre.  This gave him more depth and personality than I thought he would have when I first began reading.  I also appreciated the lengths Quick went to develop his backstory and make her readers fully appreciate the depth of the animosity between Sebastian and his relatives.  This was no mere feud, and this was nothing to be taken lightly.

As a female lead, Prue was fun, intelligent, self-assured, and brave.  I appreciated all of these things without her and, had she been underdeveloped in any of these areas, then I probably would not have believed her capable of handling Sebastian as she did.  Her own unique hobby was intriguing and I don't believe it's something I've encountered in one of these books before.  It helped to create some common ground with Sebastian, as well as it made her stand out amongst the crowd.  I liked how well she challenged Sebastian and how she was never ashamed to do what she felt was important or right.  I will say, however, that I think her backstory really fell away after only a few mentions -- even her brother seemed to disappear quite fully.  I think a lot of his had to do with the fact that the perspective shifts much more in favor of Sebastian than Prue.  Readers gain far more insight into his musings and his movements than those of Prue.  She got a bit swallowed up by the enormity of Sebastian's character at the end.  For this, I might deduct very minor points.

Above and beyond the captivating chemistry between Prue and Sebastian, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot.  There was a blend of mystery and the supernatural woven in with the traditional romantic tones.  This kept everything fresh and interesting.  Though there were dark undertones due to the natures of Prue and Sebastian's interests, I was impressed at how the story -- for the most part -- remained light enough to lose myself in enjoyment.  The romance made me enjoy the characters, but the plot and mystery kept me turning the pages much longer into the night than I probably should have.

I have a few more standalone novels for Quick sitting on my office bookshelves.  After the year we've had and my (surprising) pathetic reading track record, I may have to dive right into another one and lose myself in what I expect to be another very entertaining read.

The Seduction of Lady Phoebe (Marriage Game, Book One): Ella Quinn

 "Polite society has its rules for marriage.  But for Ella Quinn's eligible bachelors, their brides will show them that rules are for the faint of heart...

"Phoebe Stanhope is not a typical Lady.  As feisty as she is quick witted, no one can catch her, especially when she is driving her dashing phaeton with its perfectly matched horses.  And unlike her peers, experience has guarded her against a growing list of would-be suitors.  But when she encounters Marcus Finley, what she fears most burns deep within his blue-eyed gaze...

"For Lord Marcus, the spark of recognition is but a moment in the love he has held these many years.  Not that he's returned to England, all the happiness he desires rests on Lady Phoebe never finding out that he was the one who turned her heart so cold and distant.  He must work fast to gain the advantage--to convince her what she wants is exactly what she denies--but in order to seduce her into his arms, he must be willing to give up more than he can control..."

This book was a very sweet, thoughtful Christmas gift from my husband.  Fully aware and supportive of my (slight) addiction to period romances, he saw this cover and felt it would be my perfect cup of tea.  He's not a big reader at all, so the fact that he went and physically shopped for a book for me at a brick-and-mortar store was a shock.  That this book actually happened to be the first in a series was a lovely surprise.  I was new to Ella Quinn, but looked forward to diving into this book.

I am currently about a quarter of the way through this book, and it's taken me quite awhile to reach this point.  One would think I'd have been all over my "to be read" stack during this pandemic and the ensuing quarantine, but, alas, my mind has been too preoccupied and my downtime too filled with an ever-increasingly mobile, rambunctious little boy!  I was excited to dip back into my reading of this book because the first several chapters gave such promise.  However, I simply had to put it down after cruising through only a few more pages because I knew I had to start this review.

Quinn's style is not what I am used to.  To be fair, I'm sure a lot of my other favorite authors have a more relaxed style of writing, so this is probably why I sometimes find the dialogue and narration a bit grating and overdone.  It reads like a Jane Austen novel.  This is both good and bad.  For the average reader of romance novels, this may not drag her in as easily as another book might.  Even for someone with my background in literature, some of the turns of phrase were still a tad awkward and (almost) overworked.  I've lost count of all of the different characters and I'm not even 100 pages into the book.  I understand Phoebe has a large family, but there is very little presented in order for the reader to more easily separate them in her mind's eye.  It's almost as if many of them already had their own novels and one is expected to know about their personalities and backstories.  I feel like I'm missing something!  Many of them are already happily married with allusions to wonderful love stories and happy romances of their own.  If they're not developed more and don't serve more than to just pop in and give their private opinions of what's going on with Phoebe, then I don't feel like they're really necessary.  It understand that it's a style of writing (again, very Austen-esque) to bounce from perspective to perspective, opinion to opinion, and character to character, but it's just drags this out and takes away from the actual development of Marcus and Phoebe's relationship.  I want to be invested in them and not the other subplots going on well in the background.  If these were grand supporting characters (a well-developed best friend and confidant, perhaps), then I might've cared more and seen the benefit to their perspective a bit more.  Even if these were characters who did, indeed, have books of their own and I already knew their stories and their personalities, then I might have placed more stock in their opinions.  As I've already mentioned, this is the first book in this series, so that is simply not the case here.  I love it when characters are brought back in other stories and this could have worked well here if Marcus and Phoebe's wasn't the first story in this series.

Then there was the matter of just how closely Phoebe and Marcus were related by marriage.  I don't think I've come across quite such a close relation-by-marriage in a romance novel before and, though no blood was technically involved, something just made it feel a bit odd to me.  I cannot locate the specific law or when it was abolished, but I swear there was something in English law that forbid marriage or relations with one's in-laws--I think having this in the back of my mind the entire time made the plot rub me the wrong way.  I could be wrong and it could have been perfectly legal, but I do believe I read something to that effect during one of my British literature and history courses.

Now to address the fact that Phoebe didn't recognize Marcus.  This was all well and fine.  Time changes people, and the human memory is flawed.  Not to mention I'm sure that his time away would have altered Marcus emotionally, mentally, and physically.  I felt it far less believable when he was pointed out and identified as Lord Marcus from across the room at a party...and then she somehow didn't notice it was the same man who'd just been identified as Lord Marcus when she encountered him in the library?  What?  It was just odd and unbelievable.  I understand what Quinn was going for, but it seems to have missed the mark just a little bit.

I'm going to try to plod along.  I hope for more than just superficial chemistry between Phoebe and Marcus.  I want to see their fire in Phoebe to which the teaser and beginning alluded.  I want to see more romance and passion.  I really hope this book doesn't fall flat and it focuses more on the main characters than it has up to this point.

***

I began writing this review on 08/15/2020 and I finished the book a few days prior to completing this review on 11/29/2020.  Christmas would mark this book being in my possession for precisely one year, so I was very near to that mark before I was able to complete it!  I wanted to love this book -- really, I did.  I think the biggest hurdles I had were the language and the sheer number of characters.  The formality of the dialogue made it a bit more straight-laced than I was used to, and some of the colloquialisms were foreign even to me -- someone who is well-versed in this genre, as well as contemporary and classical British literature!  It is no exaggeration to admit that I struggled at some points.  I just didn't have the same amount of fun I normally do when I read a great romance novel.  The characters...there were so bloody many of them!  I get that Phoebe had a lot of siblings and she was the last of them to be married off, but I lost track and never really got a good sense of who was married to whom when it came to her twin sisters. There were so many of them that I didn't get a sense of their personalities and they added so very little to the plot.  Again, I feel like I would have appreciated them more had they had their own stories and this were not actually the first book in a series!  I felt like I was missing out on something the entire time.  Each of them seemed to hint at great backstories (even her aunt and uncle did!), but I had no knowledge or reference from which to appreciate the insinuations or understand the character development.  I simply must be missing something here...  If this is not actually the first in a series, or if some standalone novels were intended to come before it, then I wish it would have been mentioned somewhere (or maybe this one shouldn't have been labeled the first in the series).

There were aspects I did like.  I think Phoebe and Marcus had great chemistry.  I enjoyed the plot twists as a villain was introduced.  It gave the plot much more depth in the latter half of the book than the beginning.  It all seemed to wrap up rather abruptly, however.  This can be taken one of two ways:  I was pleased that I'd finished reading this book which had taken me so long to finish, but I felt like the ending didn't quite do the characters thorough justice.  The climax hit (no pun intended -- I promise that's not a bad romance novel joke), and that was that.

This book is not for the casual reader of romance novels.  It's far less lighthearted than I normally enjoy.  The points of view and language are quite difficult to follow, as are the myriad of secondary and tertiary characters.  I doubt highly that I will read any others in this series.

My husband, who, if you will remember, purchased this book for me, saw that I was finally near the end and he asked me what I thought.  I so loved the hopeful look in his eyes when he asked that, but I told him the truth.  This book really should have been right up my alley.  The genre and time period were spot on...there was just something about the writing that made me struggle to lose myself.  Some of the phrasing went way above my head.  This author is just not for me, but he couldn't possibly have known that -- I didn't even know that until my reading of the book was well underway.  I sincerely appreciated his thoughtfulness, but maybe I'll give him a list of my favorite authors from here on out.

Tempting a Proper Lady (Brides of Nevarton Chase, Book One): Debra Mullins *UPDATED*

I've finally caught up on all of my reviews!  I finished this book last night.  Going through my original review of the book (which can be found HERE and, for once, isn't too horribly written), I realized that this book took me a terribly long time to read the first time around as well.  At the risk of sounding far too blunt...it was almost painful this time around.  I had to force myself to finish it with the promise that I could read something fun as soon as it was over.

The plot had SO much potential!  The idea that an American heiress was being taken advantage of by an evil, impoverished English lord and the only one who can save her is her former fiancé, a dashing American sea Captain, is fun and exciting.  The way everything played out felt too forced.  There were good bones, but not enough substance.  Everything felt like it started off great, but then it fell to the wayside for a half-baked romance between Cilla and Samuel.  Their attraction was sudden, but the ease with which Cilla allowed Samuel "liberties" lost me.  She wasn't all that "proper" now, was she?  It was too quick.  The abruptness of it all left a funny taste in my mouth.  The ease with which Samuel and Cilla embark upon their "romance" did not sit very well with me.  I think one of the biggest issues was that I didn't care enough about the characters.

The attraction between Samuel and Cilla felt unrealistic and very superficial.  Part of the problem was that we essentially knew VERY little about Samuel other than that he was born a bastard, loved the Baileys as if they were his own family, and he became a sea captain.   That's it.  We know none of his hobbies, no anecdotes, nothing beyond his desire to save Annabelle from a disastrous marriage to the man who'd tried to kill him.  He was horribly underdeveloped.  As I noticed during my first reading of this book back in 2013, I didn't fall even a little bit in love with him...and that's the downfall with any book in this genre.  Readers have to care about the male leads; we have to be attracted to them; we have to have the opportunity to find things we love about them - whether a personality quirk, something they do that's sexy, or even the steamy image we generate in our own minds...I had none of that with Samuel.  I don't even think I ever got a good description of him beyond that he had tanned skin and dark hair.  For the life of me, I don't even know what color eyes he had.  Cilla was pretty much the same.  She had a bit of a better backstory; perhaps because a great deal of the book was told from her perspective.  This may have also contributed to my issues with Samuel; maybe if more of the story had been from his perspective, then I might not have found his character so lacking.  Unfortunately, Cilla still fell a bit short for me.  She was nearly as hollow as Samuel.  The fact that she'd fallen from grace by running off and marrying a man against her family's wishes, she was forced to work for wages, and yet she was still invited as a GUEST in high society was extremely unrealistic.  This, and the informality which all of the characters seemed to speak and address one another felt a bit amateur.  Some of the wording in the dialogue felt off as well (some of it even too modern to suit the story).  I don't know if it was an attempt to make the Americans seem different, but it was more abrasive than realistic.

Additionally, there was a huge revelation about Raventhorpe in Samuel's investigations regarding the lord's underhanded business practices and possible human trafficking...and it was brushed off...almost forgotten and didn't feel as weighty as perhaps it should have.

The story's pacing felt a bit wonky as well.  I flew through the first part, excited to see where the story was going to go.  Then...everything slowed down.  No exaggeration, this book took me months to finish because of this.  And then, all of a sudden, there were 20 pages left in the book and it all came about rather abruptly.  Where was the development?  Where was the real building of a relationship between Cill and Samuel that DIDN'T focus around bedroom antics?  WHY did they fall in love?!  Overall, I was a bit frustrated with this book.  As I mentioned, it had so much potential, but it simply didn't live up to what it could have been.  I have enjoyed books by Mullins in the past, so I don't know why I struggled so terribly through this one.

Lady Sophia's Lover (Bow Street Runners Series, Book Two): Lisa Kleypas *UPDATED*

The original review I wrote for this book way back in 2008 can be found HERE.  (Again, it's probably not worth your time...my poor little eighteen-year-old self wrote it).  While I was on maternity leave, I made a very slow, well-intentioned effort to start reading some of the books I'd amassed in my extensive collection.  I don't have the exact date I completed my re-read of this book (newborns are a bit distracting), but I believe it was sometime in January of 2020.  This updated review was penned on May 19, 2020; I'm going to do my best to provide a decent review of the work.

I enjoyed this book a great deal the first time around, but less so this second read.  My original review  raved about the plot and well-developed characters.  It took me bit longer than usual to get through this book, and I think that is in part because moments felt rather flat to me.  Overall, I liked it a great deal more than the first book in this series.  The characters were much more "fleshed out" than Grant and Victoria were.  Sophia's plan for revenge is, for the most part, I feel better contrived than Grant's desire for revenge in Someone to Watch Over Me.  I understood it much better - she had more realistic motivation to want to bring down Sir Ross.  However, there were moments where her tactics seemed to get a bit hazy.  I realize she's no expert and she's supposed to lose sight of her goal as she falls in love with Sir Ross, but I just got the feeling that there was something missing.  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't put my finger on what felt off.

Sir Ross was a decent character.  I liked him a great deal in the first book, so it was nice to see him again.  He was better developed than Grant was as the male lead.  His backstory suited him and the plot.  His family was where I felt it got a bit iffy.  His mother, in particular, didn't seem to fit the role I expected and sometimes her interactions felt contrived just plain "off," for lack of a better adjective.  Grant, as a secondary character, felt like a completely new person.  I realize it's intended to show how true love changes a man, but there was no shadow of the man he used to be (other than his work ethic).  Then again, who am I to say who Grant is or isn't...because I sure didn't get a really good sense of who he was in his own book.  But I digress.  Basically, Sir Ross was a better male lead than Grant, but I found his sudden acceptance of his attraction to his new employee (Sophia) to be a bit unrealistic, and rather below where I expected his morals to be.

I thought the plot was interesting, the characters were better developed than the first book in the series, and I was pleasantly surprised by the big plot twist toward the end of this book.  I'll just say that Kleypas earns some serious points for keeping this twist hidden so well.  It was a creative enticement to read the next in the series.

Overall, I have definitely read better books by Kleypas, but there are some redeeming qualities to this particular book.

Someone to Watch Over Me (Bow Street Runners Series, Book One): Lisa Kleypas *UPDATED*

 This is another re-read of an old book in my personal collection.  Unfortunately, I'm not entirely certain when I finished reading it for the second time, but I do know it was after I gave birth to my son, but before the end of 2019.  I'm going to estimate it was in early December of 2019.  This review was penned on May 19, 2020, so please forgive me if it's not my most elaborate.  You can find my original review of this book HERE.  The review dates all the way back to 2008, so I wouldn't really recommend it...it's far too vague and brief to be of much good to anyone.

I seem to have enjoyed this book less than I did the first time around.  Maybe it's because I'm more jaded from the last 12 years, or maybe because I am mature enough to recognize just how unhealthy the relationship between Grant and Vivien really is...  There is something to be said for a man wanting revenge, but I feel like Grant's reaction was a bit disproportionate to the slight he received at the hands of Vivien.  As he continues to press forward with his plans, I didn't find it sexy or romantic...I found it borderline reprehensible.  I didn't see love blossoming; I saw fascination and obsession.  Grant set out to do something vile and I think that made me take a step back from his character.  Because of this, I found myself less attracted to him than I should have been, given the genre of this book.  We readers are supposed to fall in love with the male leads in these books, but I fell short of that with Grant.  Sure, his character was flawed (and I DO really love a well-written, flaw-inducing backstory), but not always in a way that made him charming or attractive.  I got glimpses of what he could have been, but I never, ever really felt much for him as a character.  Aside from his revenge plot, I think part of the problem was that we didn't really get to experience much of what made him unique.  We know more about him from accounts given by other characters.  I wanted him to be more fleshed out by his own actions, hobbies, hopes, dreams, etc.

Where do I start with Vivien?  I KNOW she doesn't remember who she is or what her life was like before she was attacked; however, she fell short for me as well.  She was so accepting of Grant's stories and was relatively acquiescent when it came to her belief that he'd want to share her bed because, as he'd said, they were in a relationship.  I found it less than believable.  A true, strong female lead would never have allowed it -- would never have just taken his word for it -- not when she thinks over and over again how wrong it feels and foreign the notion is to her.

One of the biggest issues I encountered was I couldn't put my finger on WHY Grant and Vivien fell in love.  They were attracted to one another, to be sure, but Grant didn't actually know anything about Vivien...and we saw so few personal details about Grant.  Though I finished the book rather quickly and I can appreciate the plot twists and the ending, I think some of the components fell short.  Lisa Kleypas has written some wonderful books, but this older one just did not resonate as much with me anymore.

The Temptation of Your Touch (Burke Brothers, Book Two): Teresa Medeiros

"A new enchanting historical romance from a 'superb storyteller' (Booklist) and New York Times bestselling author featuring a handsome, brooding Earl who finds himself drawn to his prim and proper housekeeper.

"Maximillian Burke has always prided himself on being the man that every mother would want her daughter to marry.  But after his scoundrel of a brother makes off with Max's bride, Max discovers it's more satisfying to be a rogue than the perfect gentleman.  Forced to flee London after a duel gone wrong, he seeks refuge at Cadgwyck Manor on the lonely coast of Cornwall, a place as wild and savage as his current temper.  The tumbledown manor comes complete with its own ghost but oddly enough, it's not the White Lady of Cadgwyck who haunts Max's heated dreams - but his no-nonsense housekeeper.  The last thing Anne Spencer needs is a new master, especially one as brooding and gorgeous as the Earl of Dravenwood.  Even as she schemes to be rid of her new employer, she finds herself irresistibly drawn into his strong, muscular arms.  When Mac vows to solve the mystery of Cadgwyk's ghost, he doesn't realize it will put both of their hearts at risk and tempt them to surrender to a pleasure as delicious as it is dangerous."

This is yet another after-the-fact review.  Unfortunately, I don't have the exact date I finished this book, but I believe I'd already finished it before the end of June of 2019.  This review was penned on May 19, 2020, so please forgive it's brevity as I do my best to do it justice so long after I finished reading it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series and was so looking forward to the second that I immediately began reading it.  Max's character changed quite a bit from the first book.  Gone was the totally level-headed, staid man of the first book; in his place was a more emotional, angrier one.  He'd lost out on a woman he cared for, and cut off his brother in the process.  Max felt betrayed and he lashed out quite a bit, even causing a scene in London Society which created the need for some time out of the limelight.  He purchased a new, far-flung estate in Cornwall and retreats there to get away.  Little does he know what he is about to encounter...  Not only do the villagers seem terrified of his new manor, he finds it rather rundown, understaffed, and the hodgepodge of those willing to work there, quite odd, to say the least.  The one he finds most intriguing is his pretty housekeeper, Anne.  There's something about her attitude, her confidence, and her wit that intrigue him.  Max, however, can be just as intelligent, and he quickly catches onto the fact that he is not wanted at Cadgwyck Manor.  The staff seems to be doing whatever they can to make his stay miserable.  He doesn't think things can get worse, until the White Lady begins to make her presence known...  Max knows there must be something more to his "haunted" manor than meets the eye.  When he finally learns the story behind the ghostly apparition, he cannot help but be enthralled by the stunningly beautiful woman whose painting graces one of the walls, and he yearns to know more about her.

Anne is determined to be rid of the Max.  She and her friends have successfully run off a number of would-be owners in the past; how difficult could one more be?  She didn't count on a new master as intelligent, brave, stubborn, and handsome as Max.  She remains determined to maintain her freedom and run the manor as she sees fit, but Max does not seem to want to cooperate.  Drastic times call for drastic measures...only the more time Anne spends with Max, the harder it is for her to want to see him leave.  She struggles to keep him at arm's length when all she wants is to feel his touch.  The undeniable spark between them could be catastrophic if Max is allowed to snoop around the manor..and learn Anne's darkest secret...

Cornwall seems to be a favorite of Medeiros for creating ghostly, eerie settings -- I can clearly recall at least one other book set in Cornwall with similar ghostly tales swirling about.  I supposed I can't blame her.  The gloomy area and spooky moors create the perfect atmosphere for the supernatural.  It also happens to personify Max's moods quite well -- perfect for the brooding male lead.

The secondary characters were wonderfully lively and lent some fun to the plot.  The story could have turned far too dark and brooding, but they helped keep it light and airy.  This makes for a good contrast between the seriousness of the haunted manor and the very realistic relationships between the characters.

It was entertaining to watch all of the characters develop over the course of the book.  Max and Anne had a lovely relationship and I truly did enjoy this book.  The passion was sizzling and the overall story was extremely well-written.  I did not see the plot twist until it was staring me in the face!  Kudos to Medeiros because I think it was handled brilliantly and it was extremely creative.

I definitely recommend this book, as well as its earlier counterpart.  As much as I enjoyed the first, I think this one was my favorite of the two; I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that there was more equality in the narratives of Max and Anne -- it did not feel as one-sided.  Happy reading!