Book Binge

Casee's review of Killing Me Softly by Maggie Shayne.

The Nightcap Strangler, who terrorized the town of Shadow Falls fifteen years ago, has finally been executed. Case closed. Until Bryan Kendall's lover is murdered in the notorious killer's unique style and the rookie cop stands accused. Has someone committed the perfect copy-cat crime...or was the wrong man put to death?

A continent away, Dawn Jones hears that her first love has been accused of murder and knows that only she can help him. But to do so, she'll have to face the very fears that drove them apart.

Together, they'll work to uncover secrets someone's willing to kill to keep, and renew a love as dangerous as it is inevitable. And their best lead is the girl found dead in Bryan's bed, reeking of the whiskey poured down her throat before her killer squeezed it shut.

A killer who thinks that Dawn, too, could use one last drink...

It really is a shame that I didn’t like this book. Dawn Jones is the spawn of Mordecai Young, a psychopath from previous books. There has been a long wait between this book and the last one that had a younger Dawn in it. So long, in fact, that I can’t remember the series at all. The only reason I knew it was a continuation of the series was because of Dawn referring to Mordecai as her father.

Dawn sees ghosts. She’s afraid that she’ll turn out just like her father, so she dulls that part of her by excessive drinking and prescription medication. I lost respect for her as a character for that alone. I tried not to be judgmental, but that combined with her attitude in general was just dreadful.

Bryan Kendall wakes up in his bathroom after a party at his house to find his sometimes girlfriend dead in his bed. Bryan can’t remember anything and he knows that he’s in trouble. He immediately calls in the cavalry and it’s soon apparent that the woman was killed by a serial killer that had confessed to the crimes. Seeing as the man was executed, it’s obvious that the Nightcap Strangler is still out there and resuming his old “activities”.

Dawn returns home to Shadow Falls when her mother calls about Bryan. Bryan and Dawn have a long history. Some of it good, some of it not so good. It ended with Dawn leaving Shadow Falls and breaking Bryan’s heart in the process.

Killing Me Softly is missing something that I anticipate when reading Maggie Shayne’s book. Of course it’s been awhile, so it might be my reading tastes. The story and the characters just didn’t resonate with me. I would even go so far as to say that I disliked this book.

2 out of 5.

This book is available from Mira. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

We have quite the round-up of winners today, so here we go!

Awakened by a Kiss OR The Princess in His Bed by Lila DiPasqua:

Elizabeth





Stormwalker by Allyson James:

B.
Rosie
Johanna R Jochum



Play of Passion by Nalini Singh:

Janet H
Kris
Pamk



A Duke's Temptation by Jillian Hunter:

lindseye
Blodeuedd



Deadly Intent by Kylie Brant:

Katrina W



Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas:

Pat L.

Dee Tenorio (a book from her backlist):

Lori



Lie with Me by Stephanie Tyler:

Laurie D.
ksivey
host



September Monthly Reads:
The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks: Scorpio M.
To Tempt a Saint by Kate Moore: ClaudiGC

Please email your shipping information to contests @ thebookbinge . com (no spaces). Put [blank] contest winner as the subject line. Thanks for bearing with us these last few weeks while we got these winners together!

Tracy’s review of Duchess of Sin (Daughters of Erin #2) by Laurel McKee.

Blonde and beautiful Lady Anna Blacknall is in the mood for mischief. Entering Dublin's most notorious den of vice, she finds herself in the arms of a mysterious, emerald-eyed Irishman. And although he is masked, his tender kiss is hauntingly familiar.

Conlan McTeer, Duke of Adair, has come to Dublin to fight for a free Ireland. But he's suddenly reunited with the young Englishwoman who had once claimed his heart, and his passion turns from politics to pleasure. When their sizzling encounter brings danger to Anna's door, she must decide where her loyalties lie-and quickly. For someone will do whatever it takes to destroy Conlan . . . and anyone he dares to love.

Anna is the daughter of an Earl. She’s been trained in deportment, dancing, music and of course will be the perfect hostess when she becomes a wife and has a house of her own. But Anna is decidedly unhappy. Not that she doesn’t appreciate what she has in life, but she’s tired of the hollow feeling that’s inside her with no idea how to fill it. Everyone around her thinks that she’s this vapid woman when really she hides quite an intelligent person under the whole façade.

When she sneaks out of her house and goes to a private club with a friend she meets the one man who has ever made her feel. He is the Duke of Adair but he is not just a pretty face. Conlan McTeer is a fighter. He fights for himself, for the tenants on his land and he fights for Ireland. He has to do this all under cover but he works quite hard, and stealthily, against the union debate of 1799. Anna had met Conlan two years prior, in a stable, during the uprising in 1798 and she had never forgotten him.

After the initial meeting at the club the pair can’t stay away from each other. She sought him out and he loved it. The two felt so comfortable together but there was always tension due to politics lurking in the background. But Anna was expected to marry an English Lord and the one that was looking to marry her was none other that Conlan’s cousin Grant, and there was no love lost between the two men. Anna must make a decision for her future, but will she choose duty or love?

I have to say that I very much enjoyed the relationship between Conlan and Anna. Though their meetings were mostly on the down low they managed to really spend quality time together. They would talk and yes, have sex, but it was so sweet and romantic that never once did I think that they shouldn’t be together. It was more a case of “I know I shouldn’t be here but I just love being with you so much that I just can’t help myself” and I loved that!

Now I have to admit that I was not familiar with the whole Irish plight back in the 1700’s so that did throw me off a bit at first, but the story was told in such a way that you really didn’t need to know all of the history to enjoy the book.

I only had a couple of niggles with the book:
* I never found out how old Conlan was. Anna’s 18 and he didn’t’ seem that old, but really, how can you tell in books unless they give you a telltale sign? IDK
* The initial meeting between Conlan and Anna was mentioned more than a few times but we never found out exactly what happened back then. I still have no idea what went on in the stable two years prior to this book. I would have liked to have gotten a bit more information about that initial meeting but I guess I’ll have to read book 1 and jut find out for myself.

During the book there was also a small side love story between Anna’s mother, Katherine, and the drawing teacher, Nicolas, that had been hired for Anna’s sister. It was not played up too much but it was very sweet.

Overall I really liked this book. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series when it releases.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Grand Central Publishing. You can buy it here.

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.

The series:

Judith's review of Forbidden Falls (Virgin River series, Book 9) by Robyn Carr.

Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings an improbable candidate his way.

"Pastor's Assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. With her colorful clothes and even more colorful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and determination and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs.

This unlikely duo may come from two different worlds, but they have more in common than anyone would have expected. And in Virgin River lasting happiness is never out of the question.

I am going to start off by saying that this is my kind of novel in so many ways. A newly ordained Presbyterian minister has purchased an old, run-down church building in Virgin River on eBay. Now that seems like a good way to start one's own congregation and since Noah has come into an inheritance from his mother, he strikes out on his own with the blessing of the local Presbytery (always necessary in that denomination). When he arrives in Virgin River in his really old RV, towing his ancient pick-up truck, he knows he has his work cut out for him, especially after seeing the building and looking over the interior. It will take a good portion of his reserves, but he feels that this community has gone long enough without a church of its own. First order of business: get someone to "assist" with this project, and after interviewing a couple of starchy older ladies, he decides--against his better judgment--to hire Ellie Baldwin, a former exotic dancer/secretary/office worker/convenience store clerk/housekeeper-cleaner/childcare worker, etc. What he gets is a sassy, beautiful, kind, caring gal that works as he says: " . . . like a genie in a bottle." In spite of being trashed by her ex who has now gained custody of her two kids (he isn't even their father), she remains positive and upbeat, sharing the wisdom she learned at the knee of her grandmother, working to gain enough respectability to once again have her children with her. She plans to take off when the 90 day custody agreement can be overturned.

Noah is 35, a widower for the past five years, with multiple graduate degrees in religion and counseling, and living with a lonely heart. He is a healthy male in every way, and in spite of wanting to preserve a professional employer/employee relationship with Ellie, finds that his respect for her is growing as is his attraction to her. This novel is really about their love story.

But all is not well in Virgin River. In spite of some who think that everything in that little community just runs smoothly, there are hurting people and families. Jo Ellen and Nick have resided under the same roof for the past twenty years of their marriage, and not much else. Ellie rents their upper story garage apartment. But boy! would she love to see them happy again. Vanni and Paul want to start their own family (she's a military Iraq war widow with a son) when an old girlfriend of Paul's "wills" her infant daughter to him when she is killed in an auto accident. Now that's a fine kettle of fish for any newly married couple to handle. And it doesn't go well until Ellie and her kindness, energy, love for the babies, and gentle wisdom invade Vanni and Paul's home where she works her magic. Ellie's ex gets into the fray and he's a borderline personality, so his capacity to work considerable damage makes this story even more interesting.

It is a typical Robyn Carr novel: well-written, with believable and real characters who live in ordinary circumstances with the real human failings and relationships that ebb and flow, live or die just like in real life. The love story is the thing in this book, but around the edges you meet ministers who live in a real world and have an approach to religion that is inviting and caring; there are wise people and sick people and friendships that stand the test of time and the crises of living. In other words, it is a book to which almost anyone can relate. The Virgin River series is larger than most and some reviewers are panning these later books. I find this novel to be one that I couldn't put down. Of course there is the HEA we all love, but there are still struggles and situations that will cause the reader to wonder how this is all going to play out in the end. The book is messy at times, but then again, life is messy, too.

So I recommend this book to romance fiction lovers as a warm and winsome read. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

This book is available from Mira. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J's Book Place.

The series:

We've finished moving. I have some light cleaning left to do at our old house, a few odds and ends to put away here and all of my books left to unpack. The new house is approximately double the size of our old house. There's tons of storage, huge rooms and an amazing amount of natural light. It's wonderful.

Except we gave up a room in moving. Our old house was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a den. This new house is a 3 bedroom, 3 bath with a sunroom. The problem with the sunroom is that it's totally open to the rest of the house. The entire back wall of the house (which is the sunroom) is windows. The inside wall is made up of double glass doors into the living room, a large window into the living room and a huge doorway into the dining room. This leaves me with one full wall (the wall separating the sunroom between the main living area and the master bedroom) of free space for bookshelves - and it isn't very big.

This is the back wall of the sunroom. I had to angle the shelves in order to make them fit (it was my SIL's suggestion). I actually like how they look, but..where am I supposed to put the rest of the shelves? I have four more that need to go somewhere.

There's extra space in the living room where I can set up a reading nook. But it isn't large enough to hold more than one or two small shelves. So, again..where do I put the rest? The shorter shelves I can line up against the back wall of the sunroom under the windows I guess, but that means buying more shelves since I only have 2 short ones right now. Not that I have a problem with that, but MM might.

That isn't my only dilemma. I'm also not sure how I should organize them. I used to have a set shelves for my collections (authors I've glommed over the years - Linda Howard, Hannah Howell, Lisa Kleypas, etc), one for my keepers that weren't gloms (maybe just one or two books by the same author), one for my hardcovers/trade paperbacks and a set for my TBR pile/review books. Do I keep them the same way? Since I'll be using shorter shelves that means less books per shelf. Which means my collections will be spread out farther. Not a big deal, but I like having everything together.

Because I'm nosy and looking for inspiration, how about a quick survey? Feel free to answer the questions here in the comments or on your own site with a link here so I can read it.

1. How do you have your books organized? Do you alphabetize by author, keep your gloms together or jumble them all up in a way only you recognize?
2. Where do you keep your books? Do you have a room for them or are they scattered all over the house?
3. Do you separate your hardbacks and trade paperbacks, or shelve them with your mass market paperbacks?
4. Do you proudly display your books in the main part of the house, or keep them hidden in a closet or bedroom?
5. Like me, do you dream of having a library, like the one in Beauty and the Beast?

Casee's review of In the Dark of Dreams (Dirk & Steele, Book 10) by Marjorie M. Liu.

She could never forget the boy with the ice blue eyes...She was only twelve when she saw the silver boy on the beach, but Jenny has never stopped dreaming about him. Now she is grown, a marine biologist charting her own course in the family business -- a corporation that covertly crosses the boundaries of science into realms of the unknown...and the incredible.

And now he has found her again, her boy grown into a man: Perrin, powerful and masculine, and so much more than human, leaving Jenny weak with desire, and aching for his touch.

But with their reunion comes danger. For Perrin and Jenny -- and all living creatures -- their only hope for preventing the unthinkable lies in a mysterious empire far beneath the sea...and in the power of their dreams.

The Dirk & Steele series tends to go all over the place. I either love them or hate them. This one fell closer to love than to hate. I also find it extremely hard to review these books.

Jenny and Perrin first met when they were children. Perrin is a merman (or merboy as is the case) when he comes ashore where Jenny finds him. They only have a brief moment together, but it is enough to sustain them through the sixteen years that follow. In the years between, they both go through their own tragedy that shape the people that they are in the present.

Jenny has been living at sea, helping as many other as she can find. Perrin has been living on land, after a forced exile eight years before. When the call to the sea is too great to resist, Perrin heeds it even at the risk of his life. All he can see is red hair and green eyes of the girl on the beach so long ago. Imagine his surprise when he actually finds her being held captive by one of his kind.

Jenny is stunned when she is taken captive by one of her very own men. Having worked with Les for years, the last thing she expected was betrayal. Then he comes to her rescue. The man with the blue eyes that seem so familiar. Jenny’s heart wants to connect them but her mind is unable to let her do so. Soon she doesn’t have time to think of it because she has a parasite growing at the base of her neck and apparently something bad is awakening underneath the ocean which causes the complete and total destruction of earth. The only thing that can lull this thing back to sleep is dreams by whomever has the kra’a, but that person is dead in Jenny’s onboard morgue.

Basically screwed.

Perrin and Jenny’s story was just so lovely. I can’t really state it any other way. They were meant for each other since childhood. It was sweet and innocent in the way that only children can feel, but as they dreamt about each other over the years those feelings evolved into what they feel today. I did feel bad for Jenny because the girl never caught a break. The weight of the world literally rested on her shoulders. At least Perrin was there to help her lift it. So sweet.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

Holly: Thanksgiving is over, the holiday shopping madness of Black Friday is gone and Christmas is just around the corner. Are you ready? I haven't even started my shopping yet.But I'm determined to get it all done in the next week. Wish me luck with that, will you?

I didn't have much time to read the last week. I did manage to read A Lot Like Love by Julie James. Another cute contemporary, much as we've come to expect from her. I just finished Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I really ended up enjoying it, but man does she love to humiliate her characters. I have to say, I'm not thrilled that it's coming out in hardcover. I'm not sure what I'm going to read next. Maybe a historical?

Casee: I'm reading Dawnkeepers by Jessica Andersen. I didn't really get into the first book (it might have been all the world building) but I am enjoying this book. Other than that, I haven't really been reading.

Rowena: This week I did quite a bit of reading, more this week than I probably did in the entire month of November (not really) but I felt like it. Over the week, I read and loved Passions of a Wicked Earl (I finally finished it) and Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath which I highly enjoyed then I read Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips which I thought was a cute story, a story that SEP fans will like I'm sure and I just finished A Lot Like Love by Julie James and as always, James wrote a delightful contemporary story that I absolutely adored. Now, I'm going back to reading some Young Adult, I started My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent which is a book that I've been most anxious for so yeah, that's what I'm reading right this minute.

What about you guys? What are you reading?

Judith's review of Entwined Hearts by Nicole Austin, TJ Michaels, Ciana Stone, and N. J. Walters
(Book Five in the Hearts of Fire series)

The Chosen: eight strong individuals gifted w ith unique paranormal abilities and tasked with protecting shards of an ancient crystal--the Hearts of Fire.

Brought together by destiny, each couple has managed to bond and fuet their crystal pairs through a hot and intense sexual joining. The four couples have overcome great personal challenges and remained apart, preparing to face an ancient evil once again.

The time has come for the four couples to meet and join forces to defeat Asmodeus, Prince of hell, once and for all. Their plan is clear yet complex--activate a hidden energy network, gather on spiritual lands and fight an epic battle between good and evil, which will impact mankind for eternity. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned. And Asmodeus has some tricks the Chosen never anticipated.

This is the fifth and final book in this series and completes the destiny that began when four young women, all of whom were raised in an orphanage together, were given a piece of crystal which they vowed to wear until they met their mate and completed their destiny. Each of the mates were also given a piece of the crystal, even though they did not know each other before they met through their women. Each of the four preceding novels tells the story of one of these couples.

This book is a reprise in some ways--telling just a bit more about each couple and how they are preparing to meet up with the other Chosen. They each have their extraordinary powers which will, when the final battle occurs, provide a critical power needed for victory over Asmodeus. I found the additional information about each couple to be something of an "epilogue" style of update before moving into the final battle which I think was the focus of the book. It is also evident that each of these eight individuals have not only grown and matured in their relationship as mates, but they have matured as individuals as well, accepting the extraordinary nature of their destiny, and understanding that the battle with Asmodeus is not an ending but the crisis that will launch them into an almost immortal existence.

Like the other novels in this series this book is alive with the abiding friendship that locked these women together, a fellowship of caring that their mates respected and cherished, and into which they were delighted to enter. This book is not an anthology in any way but a collaboration between the four authors that wrote the other four books. In bringing these couples together these authors have taken their individual vision and merged it with the other three--not easy to do among creative individuals. It is really quite encouraging to see how they put their indivual egos aside and allowed the end result--this book--to reflect the collective talents they brought to the writing task.

If you have read any of the other Hearts of Fire series then you will like this novel. It is readable, entertaining, and the kind of paranormal/fantasy writing that lovers of that genre prize. There's lots to like here and it is a fitting capstone to a very fun series.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.


You can read more from Judith at Dr. J's Book Place.

This book is available from Ellora's Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

Tracy's review of Saving Lady Ilsa by Crystal Kauffman.

Bradford Stratton needs a wife. It isn’t a tragic problem until one considers his disposition. He’d rather spend his days, and nights, with his young lover Frederick. But his father’s gently put request that he marry is nothing short of an order, and Bradford won’t settle for a silly bit of fluff. When he sees the beautiful Norwegian seamstress, he makes his decision on the spot. He has to have her, even as he knows claiming her could destroy his relationship with Frederick.

Ilsa Bergstrom has endured all the abuse she can take from her late sister’s cruel husband. But a thirty-year-old childless woman in London’s rough Whitechapel has few options for surviving on her own, and after a horrific night of abuse at the hands of three men, she’ll never choose whoring as one of them. Yet when handsome nobleman Bradford Stratton makes a scandalous proposition, she accepts without hesitation. Bradford proves to be a gentle and generous lover. But Ilsa knows when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

When Bradford Stratton's tailor gets hurt he goes to another tailor that a friend recommends. While there he is certainly not thrilled with the Norwegian man's work but he's especially not happy with the way he treats one of the women there. When Bradford leaves he manages to speak to the woman, Ilsa and actually proposes marriage. Ilsa's not stupid enough to think that he actually plans to marry her but being away from the evil tailor, Dietrich, for a while is such a pull that she agrees.

While at Bradford's estate she spends several wonderful nights with him in his bed, but he insists that the marriage would be in name only. When Bradford's lover, Frederick, comes home after a 2 week absence she see's exactly why it would be a marriage in name only. But Frederick is soon curious about Ilsa and offers a plan to make her feel comfortable in their bed as well as their lives.

While I liked the premise of the book and the writing was quite well done I found myself saying, “Oh, that would never happen” several times during the book. Then, “Ok, Tracy, it's fiction,” would be the words out of my mouth. But even though it's fiction I found myself trying to believe that it was something that could happen.

Frederick and Bradford were sworn lovers. They were not about to give that up for anyone. While Bradford has tried to be with women at one point Frederick had never been interested. He fell pretty fast into having sex with Ilsa and it just didn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong, the sex scenes were quite well done and as many as there were I didn't find myself skimming. Lol But for 2 gay men they just accepted a woman too easily for me.

Despite my reservations about Frederick and Bradford I really did enjoy the story. I thought it was a very sexy historical romantic novella with a good mix of m/m as well as m/f & m/f/m lovin.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This book is available from Ellora's Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy's Place.

Tracy’s review of Shattered Glass by AC Katt

Ames’ review of No Remedy by Christine d’Abo.

Mace has spent months trying to find a cure for the poison killing her mentor. Her only hope is Alec, a brilliant scientist hiding on a backwater planet. Months of research is thrown into chaos when Alec’s old lover Byron shows up, attempting to claim a bounty that’s been placed on Alec’s head.

With the clock counting down, the trio attempts to solve the poison riddle as they fight their growing attraction and dodge bounty hunters. Byron is unwilling to let Alec avoid their past relationship. Alec is torn between desire for his lovers and guilt about his past. Mace must somehow find a way to bring them together.

Bounty hunter, pirate and scientist—a recipe for passion or disaster.

Holy spaceballs! I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened this book up, but I was totally blown away by what I read.

Mace is a space pirate who is masquerading as a lab assistant on a remote planet. She’s working for Alec Roiten, trying to discover a cure for ryana poisoning, which her brother-in-law is currently dying of. She knows she and Alec are close to a cure. She also knows that Alec is the last man in space that she should sleep with, but there’s something about the scientist that is just so yummy. She knows he’s attracted to her as well and one day over lunch, they’re just about to do something about it when a gang of bounty hunters walk into the restaurant where they’re taking a break. Mace is no stranger to bounty hunters (she does have a bounty on her head) and she quickly grabs Alec and they make their escape.

What Mace doesn’t realize is that Alec also has been on the run for the last 7 years and it looks like his past has finally caught up to him.

The two head to Mace’s apartment, where she has her bags packed for such an emergency but things hit a snafu when she finds out the hard way there is a bounty hunter hiding in her apartment.
Alec is flabbergasted when he sees his former lover, Byron, holding a blaster to Mace’s head. Alec ran from Bryon in an attempt to keep him safe 7 years ago. Byron has come for Alec to get him to safety, knowing there’s a bounty on his head. But Mace quickly gets the best of him and knocks him out. She then spirits Alec and an unconscious Byron to her ship and they head off into deep space.

Byron comes to, overpowers Mace and Alec and then him and Mace come to an understanding. They both want to keep Alec safe. Alec, meanwhile, is reeling from the truth about Mace. He doesn’t know who he can trust right now, least of all himself.

As you can see, the action begins immediately in No Remedy. Which is great! And unfolding right alongside all the action is a really great romance. First of all, there is enough history between the three characters that the quick pace of the romance makes sense. You see, Alec still loves Byron. He left him 7 years ago to protect him. And Alec was already attracted to Mace. Where the fun begins is when Byron, who is a bossy, domineering guy to begin with, takes over in the bedroom. And oh my goodness, the way these three get together? HOT STUFF. I love the reason for it and it fits right in with the sci-fi plot.

I really enjoyed Mace’s character. She is the epitome of a kick-ass heroine. And she’s not one of those stupidly stubborn characters that has to prove her independence by refusing to listen to a man when he tells her something for her safety. Her only vulnerability lies in the way she sees herself as a woman – and Bryon and Alec show her just how attractive and sexy she is. Those two guys were very yummy. They were also very yummy when they were together. Bryon is a strong, steady kind of character and Alec likes to play the guilt card. I like how Bryon and Mace worked together to get Alec out of his own way mentally.

No Remedy had everything good going for it. A space pirate, a bounty hunter and a scientist. There was all combinations of loving that really spiced up an already interesting concept and all the action just hit the spot. I highly recommend No Remedy for anyone who likes sci-fi romance, m/m romance, ménage a trois, and excellent writing. 4.75 out of 5!

On a side note – there is a previous book for Mace’s brother but you don’t have to read it to enjoy No Remedy. However, I did buy it and really look forward to reading it.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

You can read more from ~ames~ at Thrifty Reader.

Rowena's review of Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath.

Hero: Morgan Lyons, Earl of Westcliffe
Heroine: Lady Claire Matthews

Known throughout for his prowess in the bedroom, Morgan Lyons, the eighth Earl of Westcliffe, cannot forgive an unpardonable affront to his honor. Discovering his young bride in the arms of his brother was a staggering blow—so he banished the beautiful deceiver to the country and devoted himself to the pursuit of carnal pleasure.

Claire Lyons was an innocent, frightened girl on her wedding day, seeking chaste comfort from a childhood friend. Now, years later, she has blossomed magnificently and has returned to London with one goal in mind: the seduction of her notorious husband. Unskilled in the sensual arts, she burns nonetheless for the kisses too long denied her. And she has but one Season to win back the heart of the rogue she betrayed.

They are masters of seduction, London's greatest lovers. Living for pleasure, they will give their hearts to no one . . . until love takes them by surprise.

This is the first book by Lorraine Heath that I've ever read in my life and it won't be my last. This book had me gripped right from the jump and Heath did a fantabulous job of pulling at my heart strings. I absolutely loved this book. This book is a shining example of why I read romance novels in the first place. I'm a sucker for a happy ending and the journey it takes to get there and Heath wove the perfect romance to make me one happy reader.

This book follows an already married couple who have to overcome the obstacles of their wedding night to move forward with their lives. The heroine, Lady Claire was a silly young girl who trusted her good friend (who just so happened to be the hero's brother) to help her postpone her wedding night and their foolish plan worked a little too good for her comfort. The hero, Morgan Lyons mostly known throughout the book as Westcliffe was rightly pissed off at finding his brother in bed with his wife on his WEDDING NIGHT and cast them both of his life.

Three years later, Claire pops back into Westcliffe's life and he is not happy about it. He's found pleasure in the company of his paramour and he's not happy about his wife coming in and complicating his life. Everything in Westcliffe's life takes a turn because he now has to acknowledge his wife that he wants to keep right on forgetting. Claire isn't all that happy to be in Westcliffe's life any more than he is but family has her going to him and for family, she'd do anything.

Time hasn't healed the wound of being rejected by his young wife but it has treated his wife good. She's even lovelier than he remembers and before he knows what's what, he's spending more and more time getting to know his wife and his sister in law. For someone who's always longed for a family of his own to grace his house with laughter and warmth, he tries everything in his power to keep himself separated from Claire but the romance between the two of them was too strong for either of them to ignore.

I loved this book. Flat out loved it. I thought it was extremely well written and Heath did such a wonderful job of fleshing out both Westcliffe and Claire's characters. I felt for the both of them, I connected with both of their characters and wanted the best for the both of them. I absolutely adored Claire's character and I loved Westcliffe, even when he was being a stubborn ass.

Even more, I enjoyed getting to know the other characters in the book. Beth, Ainsley, Westcliffe's mother and Leo, hell I even loved Stephen. I'm more than a little anxious for Stephen's story but more so, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for Ainsley's story. I'm greedy for it, will do anything for it.

This was a wonderfully written historical romance that I would recommend to anyone who is in the mood for a sweet romance with great characters and a hot stud of a hero, Westcliffe was the bomb and Claire was perfect for him. Loved them both. Read this book, you won't regret it.

Grade: 5 out of 5

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

I don't do any store shopping on Black Friday. I barely like people on a good day. So a day when everyone is out only for themselves? Yeah, not really my cuppa. But that doesn't mean I don't shop from home as much as possible. Below are a few great deals available online for books and other items I've had my eye on. If you know of a great online deal, please share!





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