Desperately Seeking a Duke (The Heiress Brides, Book One): Celeste Bradley

“ONLY A DUKE WILL DO.

“The only way for vicar’s daughter Phoebe Millbury will inherit a family fortune is to find herself a duke—just as her late grandfather demanded in his will. But Phoebe, who’s trying to make food after a romantic scandal, also has her two cousins to contend with. They’re all competing for the same money, maybe even the same men…until Phoebe meets her match in the terribly handsome and charming Rafe Marbrook.

“BUT WILL IT BE “I DO”—OR ADIEU?

“When she receives a marriage proposal from the Marquis of Brookhaven, Phoebe is thrilled to learn that Rafe is headed for dukedom…and accepts his offer. There’s only one problem: It’s from Rafe’s older, less captivating brother, Calder. Now Phoebe finds herself on the verge of yet another scandal as she faces a desperate choice: Marry Calder for his money—of follow her oen heart> Each way can only lead to trouble…”

I was SO happy to be reading Celeste Bradley once again! This book is undoubtably her writing, but there is a certain...twist to it which is FANTASTIC!!! (It's really hard to explain unless you have read a lot of her books.) The characters were amazing and there was a complexity and depth to them that only Celeste Bradley can acheive.

Overall, the story was beautifully written. There were twists that were unexpected, but wonderful nonetheless. I loved the idea of pitting brother against brother and with so many layers to the story, it was brilliantly written. All in all, I was enamored of it and have already begun the next book in the series!

One Night of Scandal (Sequel to A Kiss Remember): Teresa Medeiros

“Proper decorum has never come easily to Carlotta Anne Fairleigh—not even tonight, when the lovely, impetuous miss is finally making her debut. As she waits to make her entrance, she can’t help wondering about the darkened house next door, the supposedly abandoned home of Hayden St. Clair, the man society has dubbed the “Murderous Marquess.” Certainly one small peek through his window before the festivities would be harmless…

“And, naturally, this latest “adventure” ends in disaster, thoroughly compromising the budding debutante’s reputation and leaving her suddenly, unthinkably…betrothed! Soon she’d en route to the wilds of Cornwall in the company of the handsome, mysterious marquess whose name the ton whisper with fear and loathing.

“Yet there is something thrilling—and surprisingly tender—about her dark unreachable groom, and the desire in his eyes is undeniable. But before Lottie will surrender to the yearnings in her heart, she must unlock the secrets of Hayden’s past, no matter how scandalous or perilous—they may be.”

This book was fantastic! I love Teresa Medeiros and she certainly did NOT disappoint me with this sequel to her final installment of the Fairy Tale Series, A Kiss to Remember. This follows Laura’s younger sister, Lottie, as she finds herself in a scrape that no amount of help from her brother-in-law’s power and influence can get her out of.

The readers are introduced to Hayden and, at first; they can almost believe the rumors that he killed his first wife in cold blood. As the story goes on, they can see that he is a man haunted by more than one ghost. He has a secret to hide and Lottie is determined to make the best of the situation—even when she discovers that very secret he is trying to keep.

I was not used to the supernatural aspect that this book brought to the table, but it was a delectable story nonetheless!

I completely fell for the characters and I didn’t want this book to end. I cannot wait to read more of her works!

A Kiss to Remember (Fairy Tale Series, Book Three): Teresa Medeiros

“At the tender age of seven, Sterling Harlow, the seventh duke of Devonbrooke, was virtually sold to his coldhearted uncle to pay off his own father’s gambling debts. Sterling won his uncle’s title in the bargain—but lost the playful spirit of his youth. Dubbed “the Devil of Devonbrooke,” Sterling’s exploits have earned him a reputation as a notorious rake. And when his mother dies, he is determined to take possession of her house—even if he must remove his mother’s ward, Laura Fairleigh, to do it. But while he is returning to Arden Manor, a riding accident knocks Sterling unconscious—and when he awakens, his memory is gone.

“Laura Fairleigh has turned down more marriage proposals than she can count—for no man compares to the noble and handsome man of her dreams. But when her benefactor dies, Laura learns that the woman’s prodigal son, the infamous duke of Devonbrooke, plans to return to Arden Manor. Laura has never laid eyes on the duke, but his reputation precedes him—and Laura is determined to keep him from casting her and her young siblings into the streets. Her only hope is a stipulation in the will that says is Laura marries by her twenty-first birthday—a mere three weeks away—the house will be hers.

“Laura prays for a miracle—prayers that seem answered when a morning walk yields a remarkable discovery: a mystery man with the face of an angel and the body of Adonis. Best of all, he seems to have no memory of who he is—or more important, who he’s not! Desperate, Laura does the unthinkable. She lied. Not only does she tell the mystery man he’s her fiancée; she convinces him that he possesses all of the qualities of the man of her dreams! As she nurses her “betrothed” back to health, Laura thinks her problems are solved. That is, until she realizes that her handsome stranger and the duke of Devonbrooke are one and the same—and that the man she has convinced to act like a pussycat is really a dangerous panther.

“As the wedding night approaches, there’s only one way for Laura to atone for her deception—she must win the heart of the Devil himself to save both their souls…”

This book was one of the sweetest, most sigh-worthy, passionate books that I have had the pleasure of reading! The character of Sterling invokes both anger, dislike, and a fair amount of pity; while Laura is a pious troublemaker who gets exactly what she deserves (I’m not going to give that away!). This book was fantastic! It truly did justice to Medeiros’s writing and I fell in love with the characters. The setting was fantastic and I found it incredibly difficult to put down! There were times when I laughed aloud, wanted to strike the stupid Sterling, and cry for the characters’ losses. I am once again thoroughly impressed with Medeiros’s skills and will immediately begin another of her books!

The Bride and the Beast (Fairy Tale Series, Book Two): Teresa Medeiros

“Gwendolyn Wilder didn't believe in dragons. But the superstitious Highlanders of Ballybliss did, and so Gwendolyn found herself bound to a post as a sacraficial offering to the Dragon who haunted the ruins of Castle Weyrcraig. Fifteen years earlier, someone had betrayed the Laird of Weyrcraig and his handsome young heir to the English for a thousand pounds in gold. Now the Dragon was demanding that very amount. The frightened Highlanders hoped that instead of gold, the fair virgin would satisfy the beast’s insatiable appetite.

“As for Gwendolyn, she never doubted that the so-called Dragon was a fraud. She knew there was a perfectly good explanation for the mysterious lights seen flickering in the crumbling castle and the unsettling sound of bagpipes drifting through the glens. But as she waited for whoever—or whatever—to claim his prize, she could not help trembling as a furious storm lashed about her…and she saw what appeared to be dark wings and a stream of silver smoke emerge from the shadows.

“Rumor had it that the Dragon could take the form of a man, and so he did with Gwendolyn—a man who would not show her his face. He carried her into his lair and made her his prisoner, his pampered pet. And while she didn’t expect to be eaten by the fire-breathing Dragon of Weyrcraig, neither did she expect to be warmed by his sensuous caresses or devoured by his passionate kisses.

“The Dragon had demanded gold and the fools had given him the golden-haired maiden. She was the very last thing he expected—and now there was no way he could let her go. She could never know that he was no monster but a flesh-and-blood man who had just laid eyes on the one woman who could slay him. Still, this supremely handsome man of devastating virility was more dangerous than any dragon. He would take it upon himself to enchant the practical Gwendolyn as she had enchanted him. He would weave a spell of sensuous magic around her that would defy all her commonsense notions and tempt her to believe in something even more unlikely than dragons and more powerful than the past that threatened them both—true love.”

I finished this book at three this morning because I couldn’t put it down. The writing was ABSOLUTELY charming and I was so excited to be reading Teresa Medeiros once again. This book is part of a “Fairy Tale Series” in which her book Charming the Prince is the first. The books are not connected, but they ring of bits and pieces of well-known fairy tales.

The author uses beautiful writing, compelling dialogue, touching characters, and touching situations to draw in her readers and hold them. She has a style about her that just makes me want to read more as soon as possible! I was NOT disappointed at all with this book and, in fact, I cannot wait to read the last book in this series. I am very happy to have found Medeiros and will definitely read more of her work!

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

“Magic under the mistletoe…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Once A Rake: Rona Sharon

"IRRESISTIBLE SEDUCTION ONLY LEADS TO...

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

"THE MOST SCANDALOUS PASSION...

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

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

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