2017 Book #92 – The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia Drake

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Cinderella Sisterhood series, Historical Romance by rebeccabook17

Title: The Scandalous Flirt
Author: Olivia Drake
Date finished: 11/5/17
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: October 31, 2017
Pages in book: 349
Stand alone or series: #6 in the Cinderella Sisterhood series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Scandal begins with just one kiss…

Aurora Paxton was once the belle of the ball, the most sought-after debutante of the season—until a scandalous mistake ruined her. Shunned by her family, Rory was banished to the country to live in disgrace. Now she’s been summoned back to London by her stepmother, who is being blackmailed by the least likely person Rory can imagine: Lucas Vale, Marquess of Dashell.

Lucas is someone Rory’s known for years—a man as devastatingly handsome as he is coldly disapproving of her. What in the world could he want from her or her family? Rory intends to find out as soon as she comes face to face with her old foe. What she never expects, however, is that the icy aristocrat has a soft spot for her—and a secret plan to redeem her status. Could it be that Lucas has been in love with Rory all along. . .and has finally found a way to win her heart?

My rating: 3.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of a young woman (Rory) who was caught by her parents with a man in a compromising position 8 years ago and was subsequently scuttled off to the country to try and save her from making any future dire mistakes. Now though, she is back in London to help her selfish and jerk of a stepmother (Kitty) figure out who is blackmailing her. Kitty apparently has some love letters from years ago that have been taken and someone is now using them to force substantial payments from Kitty. Believing the son of the author of the letters to be the culprit (Lucas), Rory gets a position in his household as his mother’s companion. The more time she spends with Lucas however, the more she realizes that he could never have done this. And the more she falls a little bit in love with him everyday. Unfortunately Lucas needs an infusion of cash to help save his debt-ridden properties, and since Rory comes with no dowry, their relationship is doomed to fail. This doesn’t stop the feelings of passion that ignite when they’re together.

Overall I liked this book a good amount. There are some pieces of the story line that didn’t fit super well. I kept forgetting about the shoes because it it wasn’t well highlighted in the story and kind of didn’t fit within the plot line. Lucas’s character was brooding and romantic and I liked him but he was a little too proud for my tastes. Some of the supporting characters in the book were ridiculous, like Lucas’s mother who was so obnoxious I wanted to punch her. Other than that it was a sweet and romantic story. I would have like to know what happened to Alice but maybe she’ll be featured in a future book even. This was a cute story with interesting characters and I would recommend it,

The bottom line: This was an ok book for me. I thought the ending was a little anticlimactic and there were some pieces of the story line that didn’t quite fit for me. Other than that this was a sweet story and I would recommend it.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

21Oct2017

2017 Book #89 – The Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Historical Romance, Maiden Lane series by rebeccabook17

Title: The Duke of Desire
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Date finished: 10/21/17
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Pages in book: 353
Stand alone or series: #12 in the Maiden Lane series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

A LADY OF LIGHT

Refined, kind, and intelligent, Lady Iris Jordan finds herself the unlikely target of a diabolical kidnapping. Her captors are the notoriously evil Lords of Chaos. When one of the masked-and nude!-Lords spirits her away to his carriage, she shoots him . . . only to find she may have been a trifle hasty.

A DUKE IN DEEPEST DARKNESS

Cynical, scarred, and brooding, Raphael de Chartres, the Duke of Dyemore, has made it his personal mission to infiltrate the Lords of Chaos and destroy them. Rescuing Lady Jordan was never in his plans. But now with the Lords out to kill them both, he has but one choice: marry the lady in order to keep her safe.

CAUGHT IN A WEB OF DANGER . . . AND DESIRE

Much to Raphael’s irritation, Iris insists on being the sort of duchess who involves herself in his life-and bed. Soon he’s drawn both to her quick wit and her fiery passion. But when Iris discovers that Raphael’s past may be even more dangerous than the present, she falters. Is their love strong enough to withstand not only the Lords of Chaos but also Raphael’s own demons?

My rating: 3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This series is one that I’ve been following for a long time and overall have really enjoyed. In the last book in the series, The Duke of Pleasure, we met Lady Iris Jordan, a friend to Hugh , the Duke of Kyle. Iris thought that she might marry Hugh because of their friendship and their common values. After Hugh finds Alf though, Lady Jordan is kidnapped on the way home from attending their wedding. The Lords of Chaos believe her to be the new Duchess Kyle, and have kidnapped her to strike back at Hugh for his involvement in trying to bring down the Lords. Once the Duke of Dyemore (Raphael) sees her there though he knows he must save her. He had infiltrated their revels to overthrow the whole group, as even though his father once led them he can not stand the thought of their existence. To protect Iris, Raphael marries her. He doesn’t expect to fall in love with her though, and he tries to keep her separate so that she won’t be tainted by the darkness that consumes his family. Iris is determined that he won’t keep her at bay though, and she’s ready to fight for their relationship in a way Dyemore never expected.

Overall I liked this book. I thought it was a good addition to the series and I liked hearing Iris’s story after being introduced to her in the last book. She was brave and proud (in a good way) and so generous with Raphael with her love. Raphael’s story was fairly tragic and it made me quite sad but it turned out alright and Iris was able to kind of save him in a way. Which is fairly common for the Maiden Lane series actually but not a common theme for romance novels. I have said this in previous posts but Hoyt does an amazing job of making the reader fall in love with a flawed man or at times even a villain. This book stays true to that idea, Raphael is a very damaged person but the reader will end up rooting for him to find love. This was a good book for the series, and even though it wasn’t my favorite in the series I still enjoyed it!

The bottom line: I liked this book ok. Raphael’s character was a little too brooding for me and the whole story line was a little tragic. This was a good read though and a good additional to the series, I would recommend.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

11Oct2017

2017 Book #86 – The Highlander Is All That by Sabrina York

Posted in Book reviews, Historical Romance, Untamed Highlanders by rebeccabook17

Title: The Highlander Is All That
Author: Sabrina York
Date finished: 10/10/17
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: Swerve
Publication Date: October 10, 2017
Pages in book: 257
Stand alone or series: #4 in the Untamed Highlanders series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley
NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Elizabeth St. Claire has always been hard to please. Dreaming solely of Highlander men her whole life, no prancing London Lord can stand a chance at winning her heart…

… But perhaps a Scotsman can.

Elizabeth watches intrigued as the Highlander of her dreams, a Scotsman named Hamish Robb, arrives to oversee her season at the behest of her cousin, the Duke of Caithness. Elizabeth doesn’t hide her feelings for the striking Scot. But Hamish, determined to obey his order to protect the St. Claire sisters, steadfastly rejects her every seducing lure.

Believing that the debutante Elizabeth deserves a better, wealthier man, Hamish continues to turn away from her affection, even though he doesn’t exactly want to. Can this Highlander Scot resist the tempting seductress’ attempts to win his heart?

My rating: 4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Elizabeth St. Claire and Hamish Robb. Hamish has arrived in London at the bequest of his friend and business partner, Lachlan Sinclair (a duke). Sinclair’s wife is pregnant and can’t travel, and so he sends his friends Hamish and Ranald to watch over his four female cousins as they fight for husbands this Season. Elizabeth and her three sisters, Anne, Mary, and Victoria, are all very charming and lovely women. Elizabeth has always had a fondness for Scotsmen, even though she’s lived her whole life in London. She did visit Scotland once and found it to be entrancing, as she has also found the brawny men of Scotland as well. So when an especially handsome one shows up on her doorstep, she isn’t about to let this opportunity pass her by. And even though Elizabeth’s sister Anne doesn’t particularly care for Scotsmen (dislikes them in fact), she can’t seem to help herself when it comes to Ranald.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. It was definitely a quick read and so of the plot pieces were a tad unclear (like the timing once we got to the last couple chapters, it sounded like months went by but then we were talking as if weeks went by or days and it was a little confusing). I really liked that this story line incorporated the lives and romances of all four St. Claire sisters, it added an extra layer of interest. This was definitely a quick and easy read but still kept the reader interested. The story had a sweet ending and I thought this was a good addition to the series! I would recommend it.

Also make sure to check out my Blog Tour post on this book here!

The bottom line: I liked this book a lot. I loved how well the story lines were woven together. This was a quick, fun and sweet read and I would recommend it!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

11Jul2017

2017 Book # 57 – Duke with Benefits by Manda Collins

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Historical Romance, Studies in Scandal by rebeccabook17

Title: Duke with Benefits
Author: Manda Collins
Date finished: 7/10/17
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Pages in book: 320
Stand alone or series: #2 in the Studies in Scandal series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley
NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

LADY + DUKE = TRUE LOVE?
Lady Daphne Forsyth is a brilliant mathematician with a burning passion for puzzles. When she learns that the library belonging to her benefactress houses the legendary Cameron Cipher—an encrypted message that, once solved, holds the key to great riches—Daphne is on the case. Unfortunately, her race to unlock the cipher’s code is continually thwarted by a deliciously handsome distraction she hadn’t counted on. . .and cannot resist.
Dalton Beauchamp, the Duke of Maitland, is curious as to why Daphne is spending so much time snooping around his aunt’s bookshelves. He’s even more intrigued by her bold yet calculating manner: She is unapologetic about her secret quest. . .and the fiery attraction that develops between them both. But how can they concentrate on solving a perplexing enigma once the prospect of true love enters the equation?

My rating: 3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Daphne Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Forsyth, and Dalton Beauchamp, the Duke of Maitland. Daphne is one of the recent inheritors of the Duke’s aunt’s estate, left to a group of four woman scholars. Daphne’s scholarly focus is mathematics, which is why Lady Celeste left Daphne with a specific task. Lady Celeste knew of a clue to a hidden treasure, a cipher dating back hundreds of years. Knowing of Daphne’s skills with ciphers, Lady Celeste left it to Daphne to unravel the clue and find the treasure. But not before trying to play matchmaker once again in asking her nephew (Maitland) to help Daphne find the clues to the hidden cipher. Lady Celeste had been similarly stealthy in Book 1 (Ready Set Rogue) in getting Ivy and Kerr together. But when someone else finds out about the cipher, someone who is willing to do anything to obtain it including murder, Daphne must solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt. And along the way, Maitland discovers that beneath Daphne’s brusque exterior, there is a heart of gold.
Overall I liked this book. It was a quick and easy read, but was full of romance and danger and mathematical challenges. I love this series overall because the heroines are all so strong and intelligent. I loved that Maitland’s character understood Daphne’s need for independence and respected it, acting more as a support for her than a driver. Some heroes in historical romances can get a little heavy-handed, so it was refreshing to see this change of pace. And Daphne’s character as well was slightly unusual for a historical romance, I think she might be diagnosed with something similar to Asperger’s in today’s day and age based on her inability to look people in the eye, her dislike at being touched, and her difficulties with understanding social interactions. Altogether made for a pretty interesting read. I liked this book and I look forward to reading more in the series. I would recommend!

The bottom line: This was a really good book, I liked the story line and it was a quick and easy read. I like the series overall too, I would recommend!

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

7Jan2017

2017 Book #2 – Ready Set Rogue by Manda Collins

Posted in Blog tour, Book reviews, Book series, Historical Romance, Studies in Scandal by rebeccabook17

Title: Ready Set Rogue
Author: Manda Collins
Date finished: 1/6/17
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 3, 2017
Pages in book: 320
Stand alone or series: #1 in the Studies in Scandal series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

WHO WILL WRITE THE BOOK OF LOVE?
When scholarly Miss Ivy Wareham receives word that she’s one of four young ladies who have inherited Lady Celeste Beauchamp’s estate with a magnificent private library, she packs her trunks straightaway. Unfortunately, Lady Celeste’s nephew, the rakish Quill Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, is determined to interrupt her studies one way or another…
Bequeathing Beauchamp House to four bluestockings―no matter how lovely they are to look at―is a travesty, and Quill simply won’t have it. But Lady Celeste’s death is not quite as straightforward as it first seemed…and if Quill hopes to solve the mystery behind her demise, he’ll need Ivy’s help. Along the way, he is surprised to learn that bookish Ivy stirs a passion and longing that he has never known. This rogue believes he’s finally met his match―but can Quill convince clever, skeptical Ivy that his love is no fiction?
Don’t miss Ready Set Rogue, the first in Manda Collins’ new series set in Regency England!

My rating: 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I was lucky enough to do an author interview with Manda, you can see my post with that, an excerpt from the book, and other information here. This book was about Ivy Wareham, the daughter of a professor and an extremely talented linguist/translator who has recently been granted a partial inheritance from someone she’s never met. Lady Celeste Beauchamp has left her estate to 4 intelligent young women, all of whom are extremely eager to use Lady Celeste’s extensive library and other resources to continue expanding their knowledge and the body of their own work in their separate fields of study. But Celeste’s nephew (Quill) is determined to fight this as he is not happy about his aunt giving away his childhood refuge to four strangers. Then Ivy and Quill discover Celeste was murdered and they must join together to solve the mystery of who murdered her and why. And as they spend more and more time together trying to solve this particular mystery, they realize that fate may have brought them together for a reason: true love.
Overall I really liked this book. I loved that the heroines in this series are all extremely intelligent young ladies, and after being introduced to them all in the first book I can already see how different and interesting each of their characters will be. Ivy was fierce and intelligent and I just loved her as a character. And the relationship that developed between her and Quill was passionate but it was more than that too, it was full of real emotion and love. This book did have a lot of characters to keep track of but I think that will only add more depth to the other girl’s stories when they each get told. I think this was a good read and a great start to a new series. I would definitely recommend.

The bottom line: This was a great book! I loved that the author chose to portray such intelligent heroines, they were all very interesting. The plot was creative and kept me interested. And the tension between the hero and heroine was emotional and heart-warming. Loved it!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

4Jan2017

2017 Book #1 – Waiting For An Earl Like You by Alexandra Hawkins

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Masters of Seduction by rebeccabook17

Title: Waiting For An Earl Like You
Author: Alexandra Hawkins
Date finished: 1/4/17
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 3, 2017
Pages in book: 352
Stand alone or series: #3 in Masters of Seduction series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

LOVE ISN T ALWAYS WHAT IT SEEMS.
Get lost in Waiting for an Earl Like You, the next lush, sensual Regency romance in the Masters of Seduction series by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Hawkins.
Justin Reeve Netherwood, Earl of Kempthorn a.k.a. Thorn has never cared much for his neighbor’s daughter. But his twin brother, Gideon, befriended the wild, reckless, and wholly inappropriate Miss Olivia Lydall in youth, and two have been close ever since. So when Olivia finds herself in a state of romantic conflict and seeks out Gideon for advice, he is only too pleased to oblige. Only problem: The man Olivia is speaking to is Thorn. And now it is too late for him to tell Olivia the truth.
Thorn always believed that Olivia was too smitten with Gideon for her own good. So what s the harm in steering her away from him? But Thorn s charade turns out to be anything but harmless once he begins to see Olivia for who she really is: A woman full of spirit and passion and someone he can t live without. But how can Thorn claim Olivia s heart when their deepening connection and burning desire is built on lies and deceit?

My rating: 2.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.This book tells the story of Olivia Lydall, who has been neighbors and friends with Lord Kempthorn (Thorn) and his twin brother (Gideon) since they were children. Being the heir, Thorn was forced to devote more time to his studies and less time on enjoying his youth, plus his arrogance always made Olivia wary of him, so it was Gideon that she was close with. After Gideon returns home after spending time at sea, Thorn sees Olivia for the first time in years at Gideon’s welcome home party. And during the evening of the party, when Thorn comes across Olivia in a secluded setting and she mistakes him for Gideon, he dances with her under the stars and kisses her. But can Thorn convince Olivia to kiss her while he’s himself? Or is she in love with his brother?
Overall I liked some parts of this book. There were a couple twists at the end that I didn’t see coming and were good surprises in the plot. I have to admit, though, that this wasn’t my favorite book by this author, the plot line just wasn’t appealing to me. I didn’t like that no one in the book, not even the heroine, could tell the twins apart. And there was a piece at the beginning about an old lover of Thorn and Gideon’s, and I thought it was pretty gross that they were sleeping with the same person at the same time. And what the hell was Gideon’s problem? Jeez that guy was cranky through like the whole book and we never really find out what was wrong with him. And Olivia’s father was a neglectful jerk who never has to apologize for that fact for some reason. Just in general, the men in this book all seemed like they were being led around with their penises and I thought they could’ve used more time thinking with their brains instead. I think this book would’ve appealed more to readers who like a bossy hero in their historical romances.

The bottom line: This was an ok book. Not my favorite in the series, the plot line was just a little weird/unappealing for me. I think its good to try if you’re reading the series or if you as a reader enjoy a hero that has a lot of arrogance and likes being in control.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

30Dec2016

2016 Book #121 – The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Fiction, Historical fiction, Mistresses of Versailles by rebeccabook17

Title: The Enemies of Versailles
Author: Sally Christie
Date finished: 12/27/16
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: March 21, 2017
Pages in book: 399
Stand alone or series: #3 in the Mistresses of Versailles trilogy
Where I got the book from: Author/Publisher NOTE: I received this book for free from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

In the final installment of Sally Christie’s “tantalizing” (New York Daily News) Mistresses of Versailles trilogy, Jeanne Becu, a woman of astounding beauty but humble birth, works her way from the grimy back streets of Paris to the palace of Versailles, where the aging King Louis XV has become a jaded and bitter old philanderer. Jeanne bursts into his life and, as the Comtesse du Barry, quickly becomes his official mistress.
“That beastly bourgeois Pompadour was one thing; a common prostitute is quite another kettle of fish.”
After decades of suffering the King’s endless stream of Royal Favorites, the princesses of the Court have reached a breaking point. Horrified that he would bring the lowborn Comtesse du Barry into the hallowed halls of Versailles, Louis XV’s daughters, led by the indomitable Madame Adelaide, vow eternal enmity and enlist the young dauphiness Marie Antoinette in their fight against the new mistress. But as tensions rise and the French Revolution draws closer, a prostitute in the palace soon becomes the least of the nobility’s concerns.
Told in Christie’s witty and engaging style, the final book in The Mistresses of Versailles trilogy will delight and entrance fans as it once again brings to life the sumptuous and cruel world of eighteenth century Versailles, and France as it approaches irrevocable change.

My rating: 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book is about France and its history really, told through two separate points of view. The chapters alternate between the point of view of Jeanne, the Comtesse du Barry and King Louis XV’s most recent mistress, and Adelaide, King Louis XV’s eldest daughter (unmarried). Jeanne’s story begins in her childhood and tells of her rise in status from the streets of Paris to being the King’s formal mistress. Jeanne is not what I would call an ambitious woman, and her good fortune comes mainly from her good looks, pure luck and the greed of those that surround her. Things seem to work out ok for her in the end though and she does genuinely care for the King. The King’s daughter Adelaide though, is genuinely shocked that her father would even consider bringing Jeanne (to be fair she was actually a prostitute) to Versailles and having her presented at Court. Adelaide’s chapters are heart-wrenching, as she so desperately wants her father’s approval and love, but unfortunately she is very judgmental due to her upbringing and so her interactions with her father never seem to go well. After King Louis XV’s death though, the political unrest in France falls into a downward spiral. And as the French Revolution begins, neither Adelaide (a princess) nor Jeanne (a prostitute) are safe from the Reign of Terror.
Overall I really liked this book. I love this whole series really, because while not everything that happens is factual there is a lot based on real fact, and to be honest a lot of this I haven’t learned about before. So I’m learning as I read and it is just riveting stuff. The ending of this one especially was captivating since I could tell that the whole Revolution business was not going to end well for any of the main characters. I found this novel to be really thought provoking as well. There were a lot of subtopics to this story that I could delve deeper into and think about, especially ones that would apply to this day and age as well as the time period discussed in the book. I thought it was especially interesting to see the characters’ progressions through the novel. This book covers a time period ranging from 1750 to 1800, so many of the characters grow old within the span of this one novel, and there are many changes to each characters’ personality. I liked this novel a lot, it probably ended up being my favorite in the series. I can’t wait to see what this author writes in the future, I really enjoyed the Mistresses of Versailles series!

The bottom line: This was a great conclusion to the trilogy! I thought the different points of view in this novel were especially interesting and I really enjoyed the author’s take on a bloody time in history, the Reign of Terror. Great read though, I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

29Nov2016

2016 Book #113 – Mistletoe, Mischief, and the Marquis by Amelia Grey

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Historical Romance by rebeccabook17

Title: Mistletoe, Mischief and the Marquis
Author: Amelia Grey
Date finished: 11/27/16
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: Swerve
Publication Date: November 29, 2016
Pages in book: 87
Stand alone or series: Heirs’ Club of Scoundrels series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

The Marquis of Wythebury, is expecting an ordinary Christmastide at Hurst—until he is set upon by a beautiful miss who takes him to task for not allowing his young nephews to play outside. In his mind, a five and seven year old needn’t get chilled in the snow; better to plop them in front of the fire with a book. Few people have ever been brave enough to challenge him over anything, much less the rearing of his wards. The cheeky Miss Prim has no such compunction. No matter how fetching he finds her, he can’t give in to his attraction…for she is the sister of his best friend.
Growing up the middle child of five rambunctious girls, Lillian Prim doesn’t understand why two young boys visiting Hurst don’t know how to play until she meets their dashing guardian. The Marquis of Wythebury is commanding and intensely serious-minded. To her surprise, she’s captivated by him. It’s all she can do not to give into her feminine fantasies about her kissing him. Lillian has no intention of falling in love with the Marquis, but she will create Christmastide mischief and teach the boys and the handsome Marquis how to play, in Mistletoe, Mischief, and the Marquis, by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey.

My rating: 3.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This short story is about Lillian Prim and Seth, the Marquis of Wythebury. Lillian is the sister of Louisa from book #1 in the series, The Duke in My Bed. They are brought together to celebrate Christmas with Lillian’s sister and members of the Heirs’ Club. Seth’s sister and brother-in-law recently died of a fever and left Seth as guardian for two young boys. In the days leading up to Christmas, Lillian helps watch over the boys and tries to tell Seth that he’s being to strict with them and not letting them be young boys. Seth thinks that Lillian is a little to loose with her stricture and also a little too free with her opinions.
Overall I liked this short story it was sweet and had a good Holiday vibe to it. It was obviously a short story being only 87 pages so there was not a lot of detail to it but it was still a Holiday-spirited, romantic read. I would recommend it, especially for people who’ve read and enjoyed other books in this series.

The bottom line: I liked this, it was a nice short story. This was a quick read and was great for getting the reader into the holiday spirit. I would recommend, especially for fans of the series.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

24Nov2016

2016 Book #111 – The Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Historical Romance, Maiden Lane series by rebeccabook17

Title: The Duke of Pleasure
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Date finished: 11/23/16
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: November 29, 2016
Pages in book: 336
Stand alone or series: #11 in the Maiden Lane series
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

IN THE ARMS OF DANGER
Bold. Brave. Brutally handsome. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is the king’s secret weapon. Sent to defeat the notorious Lords of Chaos, he is ambushed in a London alley-and rescued by an unlikely ally: a masked stranger with the unmistakable curves of a woman.
IN THE HEAT OF DESIRE
Cocky. Clever. Courageously independent. Alf has survived on the perilous streets of St. Giles by disguising her sex. By day she is a boy, dealing in information and secrets. By night she’s the notorious Ghost of St. Giles, a masked vigilante. But as she saves Hugh from assassins, she finds herself succumbing to temptation . . .
ONE KISS WILL CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER
When Hugh hires Alf to investigate the Lords of Chaos, her worlds collide. Once Hugh realizes that the boy and the Ghost are the same, will Alf find the courage to become the woman she needs to be-before the Lords of Chaos destroy them both?

My rating: 4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story (finally!) of Alf. Alf has been a supporting character for a good portion of this series, when we’re first introduced to her character its as the young boy who is an information collector/seller in St. Giles. Alf was abandoned at a young age and so in order to protect herself, she’s disguised herself as a young boy for a very long time. She’s also recently started training to replace the most recent Ghost of St. Giles, since all the other ones we’ve learned of have settled down and retired and started families. So Alf takes on a new job as an informant for the Duke of Kyle, who she seems to have a bit of a crush on. And when the Duke of Kyle (Hugh) discovers that Alf is not only a girl, but also the Ghost of St. Giles who kissed him so passionately recently. And when Hugh realizes that he needs Alf’s help on an upcoming reconnaissance mission at a ball, he asks her to uncover the woman she really is deep down. As Hugh sees more of the facets that make up Alf though, he can’t resist falling in love with her.
Overall I really liked this book a lot. It was a bit unusual since the heroine starts out the story attracted to the hero but the hero thinks she’s a boy. And Alf is from the streets and it shows not only in her language but also in her thought process and her personality. I think that was one of the things I ended liking most about this book though was Alf and how full of life she was. And it was really great to read her story after hearing so much about her in the other books in the series. Readers be warned there are some steamy scenes in this book, this one definitely is a sexy read! But there was also some great character development and some really deep emotions in this book. Alf’s character develops from a cocky lad to a young lady in love (who is also still cocky). And I think the book had a great overall message, that sometimes you need to put your faith in love and have hope.

The bottom line: I really enjoyed this one, this probably ended up being one of my favorite books in the series. This was definitely an unconventional story though, Alf isn’t your classic romance heroine but she was entirely refreshing and fun. This was a great read and I would definitely recommend.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

24Nov2016

2016 Book #110 – The Danger of Desire by Sabrina Jeffries

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Historical Romance by rebeccabook17

Title: The Danger of Desire
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Date finished: 11/20/16
Genre: Historical romance
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: Novemeber 22, 2016
Pages in book: 416
Stand alone or series: Sinful Suitors series #3
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

To root out the card cheat responsible for her brother’s death, Miss Delia Trevor spends her evenings dancing her way through high society balls, and her late nights disguised as a young man gambling her way through London’s gaming hells. Then one night, handsome Warren Corry, the Marquess of Knightford, a notorious member of St. George’s Club, recognizes her. When he threatens to reveal her secret, she’s determined to keep him from ruining her plans, even if it means playing a cat-and-mouse game with the enigmatic rakehell.
Warren knows the danger of her game, and he refuses to watch her lose everything while gaining justice for her late brother. But when she starts to delve beneath his carefully crafted façade, can he keep her at arm’s length while still protecting her? Or will their hot desires explode into a love that transcends the secrets of their pasts?

My rating: 3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Delia Trevor, an eligible maiden whose brother recently died and left her with a crippling debt and a mortgaged estate. Her aunt is trying to marry her off and secure a place for Delia in society. Her Aunt is also trying to find a husband for Delia’s brother’s widow. Delia’s good friend Clarissa notices that Delia has been acting odd lately and wonders if a fortune hunter is trying to blackmail her. So Clarissa enlists the help of her cousin, the marquess of Knightford (Warren) to look into the matter. Warren is a self-confirmed bachelor who is determined not to marry, mostly because he’s sure that no woman should have to put up with his fear of the dark and his need to stay awake all night. Delia intrigues him though and when he notices that she is indeed acting strangely as Clarissa claimed, he is determined to find the underlying cause. Turns out Delia’s brother was cheated in a card game and now she’s determined to find whoever it was that they may soon lose their house to.
Overall I really liked this book. Delia’s character was very entertaining and I loved how vulnerable and charming Warren was. There were some references to Clarissa’s story too, which I would love to read. This book does read as a stand alone story technically but I feel like reading Clarissa’s story would have added more context to some of the things that happened in the beginning of the book. And I have a feeling that Brilliana’s story is going to be next in the series, and I’d love to read that one as well. I haven’t read much by this author previously but I am excited to read more by her. I thought she did a great job of creating tension and emotion between the main characters. I like this story a lot and I would recommend reading it.

The bottom line: This was a good book, I just loved Delia’s character. I can’t wait to read more in the series!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page