Catch a Falling Heiress (An American Heiress in London #3) by Laura Lee Guhrke

Catch a Falling Heiress is the 3rd book in Laura Lee Guhrke’s An American Heiress in London series. Historical Romance is probably my favorite genre, and it’s because of stories like this.

Blurb…

She's an American heiress. He's a devilish earl. When these two collide, the sparks ignite a shocking scandal in USA Today bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke's unforgettable Victorian-era romance.

Linnet Holland wants nothing to do with fortune hunters. No, she’s determined to marry a man who loves her. But just as she’s about to accept the perfect marriage proposal from the man she wants, the rakish Earl of Featherstone interrupts and ruins everything, including her reputation, with his smoldering kiss.

Jack Featherstone knows all about Linnet’s “intended”, and he’s determined she won’t fall prey to that villain as other women have in the past. But when his attempt to save Linnet ruins her instead, he knows he has to make things right. So he sets out to win this golden beauty . . . and prove to her that being ruined by him was the best thing that could have happened to her.

My thoughts…

I’ll say this right up front, Catch a Falling Heiress is my favorite book in this series, so far. It overlaps slightly with book 2, How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days, so it’s important to read these in order because we get the details on what actually happens to Van Hausen - the vile man with no conscience, no care for anyone but himself. Details… that’s what I wanted and that’s what I got in this book!

I fell madly in love with our hero, Jack, the second son of the Earl of Featherstone. He was not loved by his father and older brother - that I can tell, anyway - and he learned early on that he’d have to make his own way in life. His early years were rough, but with determination and great friends he became an amazing man whose story needed to be told.

Linnet … such a stubborn woman, but it seems to me that’s the way the “American Heiresses” are. They’re so very different from the usual London princesses, and that’s what makes these stories shine – well, that and the amazing heroes!

It’s so much fun watching these men of the ton try to understand (and woo) these women who are nothing like the simpering little chits they’ve been exposed to, and that - along with a great storyline - is what makes Catch a Falling Heiress so entertaining.

The bottom line…

Laura Lee Guhrke’s historical romances are magic, and if you haven’t yet given her stories a read, you’re missing out! The An American Heiress in London series sits proudly on my “must read” shelf, and I can’t wait for the next installment!

An ARC of this story was provided by Avon Books. To show my appreciation I'm giving them an honest review.

Hard as You Can (Hard Ink #2) by Laura Kaye

Happy Hunk-a-licious, Ink-tastic Release Day!!

Hard as You Can is the second installment in Laura Kaye's Hard Ink series, and just like the first, all kinds of awesome!

Description

Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.

Ever since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he’s shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister’s sake, Crystal can’t get too close. Until her job and Shane’s mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed.

Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn't want him to uncover. Too bad. He’s exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can—and never let go.

My review...

I have to admit, I'm a huge fan of stories about hot, alpha, inked males. There's just something so mysterious and sexy about them that I just can't help but swoon for them, and Hard as You Can gave me just what I was hoping for, and more!

'Why more?' you ask. Well, 'more' because these hot, alpha, inked males are also the survivors of a Special Forces team who were set-up to be fall guys, and who are out to clear their names and bring the bad guys down. Yeah... 'more' of the yummy goodness!

And, for the record, in my opinion Shane steals the show with his sexy, Southern, panty melting charm!

This installment touches on the horrific crime of human trafficking, but doesn't go into the gory details that some books do. In this case I appreciated that because there is so much happening that I believe it would have overshadowed the ongoing plot. That said, while there were not the details, we still see the emotional aftermath of being a victim.

The bottom line...

I really enjoy this world Laura Kaye has created. It's exciting, intriguing, sexy, and even at times poignant. All the men from the team are just so powerful and yet so vulnerable, and I can't wait to read each and every story!

A copy of this story was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale

"Don't let that happen to me." Her words shook. "Don't leave me to be what I'll become without you."

This is a review of the audio book as well as the story itself.

Once again Laura Kinsale has written an amazing novel, and Nicholas Boulton has made it real. I can’t even explain what he brings to the stories he narrates. How he makes the hero and heroine so much more than just characters in a book. He doesn’t merely read their lines, he exists in them. The people, their lives, their passions and trials and triumphs… he becomes them! He makes them living, feeling human beings – flawed, tormented, irredeemable people who I can’t help but fall in love with.

The Story

Leigh’s need for revenge drives her far from home to La Paire, in the foothills of the French Alps, seeking the help of the legendary highwayman known as le Seigneur du Minuit – The Prince of Midnight. She needs someone with his strength, his cunning, and his skills at swordplay if she has any hope of destroying the man that destroyed her family. But convincing le Seigneur to help is harder than Leigh anticipated, and so begins a battle of wits and wills.

S.T. Maitland isn’t the man he once was – not physically or emotionally. As Leigh’s masquerade unravels and her story comes out, bit by bit, S.T. knows that her’s is a cause le Seigneur du Minuit would have championed. But now, barely able to stand up without falling over, hope he once had of healing, any high esteem he’d once regarded of himself is gone, and S.T. doesn’t imagine to be any use to anyone.

My Thoughts

Oh, what an emotional roller-coaster ride this is! At times I loathed Leigh, at times I loved her. At times I hated S.T., at times I worshipped him! From one scene to the next I didn’t know what to expect from these two equally tortured souls! It’s a heartbreaking, uplifting, romantic, painfully brilliant story, and that, lovely readers, is why I was up until the wee hours, listening, unable to close my eyes until the end.

I’m not usually a fan of high-angst stories, but this one sucked me in, chewed me up and spit me out - and I loved every minute of it! I wanted to kill Leigh and S.T. at the same time I couldn’t help but love them both. I desperately needed them to get their happily ever after just as desperately as I wanted them to give up on each other and walk away. But these words made it all come together for me, made it all okay...

He tried to pull away, and then suddenly his grip tightened on her hands. He lifted them to his mouth. "Ah God, you are. . . you are. . . and what can I give you in return?"

"Give me your joy, Seigneur." She pressed her forehead against their clasped hands. "Oh, give me your joy. I can go on alone if I must. I'll endure, oh yes—I'm too strong to break. And I'll grow old and turn into stone if you leave me. I'll never look up and see you play with the wolf; I'll never hear you call me sweet names in French; I'll never learn to beat you at chess." She shook her head violently. "Please. . . dance with me. Take me to Italy. Paint me in the ruins at midnight. Give me all your mad notions and your crazy heroics and your impossible romantical follies. And I'll be your anchor. I'll be your balance. I'll be your family. I won't let you fall."

His hands opened. He slipped his fingers over her cheeks, cupping her face between his palms.

She felt hot tears fill her eyes. "I'm so weary of grief and hate." She bent her head and stepped away, looking up into his face. "I want a chance to give you the best of myself, too."

Far off beyond the lake, a crane made its warbling whoop, exotic and startling against the background of the harpsichord. He lifted his hand, touched her cheek, caught the single tear that tumbled down it.

She bit her lip. The tears came, impossible to stop. "I love you," she said in a cracked voice. "The truth is, Monseigneur. . . I need you more than you need me."

He was silent, his hand against her skin, warm against the night air.

"Don't let that happen to me." Her words shook. "Don't leave me to be what I'll become without you."

And so, in the end, when it was all said and done and I was listening to those final words of the story, I knew it was right. I knew that even though their happily ever after was hard fought, it was so, so well deserved, and that made it right.

Perfect.

Brilliant!

Sweet Revenge by Zoë Archer

 

When Jack Dalton escapes from Dunmoor Prison, he has only one thing in mind—finding the nobleman who murdered his sister and making him pay. But when he reaches the inn where the Lord Rockley is rumored to be staying, three well-dressed strangers are there to meet him instead. And the pretty blonde is aiming a pistol right at his head …

Joining Nemesis, Unlimited has made Eva Warrick much more than the well-mannered lady she appears to be—one who can shoot, fight, and outsmart any man in the quest to right the injustices so often suffered by the innocent. She’s not afraid of the burly escaped convict, but she is startled by their shared attraction. She and her partners need Jack’s help to get to Rockley, but Eva finds she wants Jack for scandalous reasons all her own…

*****

Sweet Revenge is the first book in Zoë Archer’s Nemesis, Unlimited series. It’s a Victorian romance, but unlike any Victorian romance I’ve read before and, first page to the last, I loved it!

This is one of those rare “first in a series” books that doesn’t feel like a first. The world is interesting, exciting, and complex, but not so complex that you need a glossary of terms or pedigree chart at the end to understand what’s happening. Instead of seasons, balls, the ton, peerage and all the other mundane happenings associated with the men and women of the era, this is a gritty world where murder, rape, and thievery go unpunished if you have the right title. And, should you attempt to rectify the wrongs against the innocents, you’re likely to become a target yourself.

Enter Nemesis, Unlimited! I love these Robin Hoods of Justice! Their ideals and their dedication to each other and to making the world a better, safer place for everyone, make them men and women to not only respect and admire, but to fear.

I absolutely adore Jack Dalton! From the very first page he commands attention, not just due to his size and brutish strength, but in his determination to right the wrong against his sister. He makes no excuses for her part in what happened, but will stop at nothing to see her killer brought to justice, as quickly, painfully and permanently - in other words, dead - as possible. As we learn more about Jack and his past, my heart ached for him. I wanted nothing more than to see him get the vengeance he so desperately needed in order to move on with his life.

Eva Warrick is a great heroine, and I was quickly on her side, cheering her on as she stopped at nothing to get Jack to join them. They too sought out Lord Rockley for yet another of his wrongs against women, and knew that Jack was their secret weapon in bringing him down. She’s a no nonsense kind of woman who has dedicated her life to her work with Nemesis, Unlimited. Jack wasn’t easily convinced to join them, but Eva’s refusal to take no for an answer, and Jack’s growing attraction and admiration for her, make it hard for him to walk away. Apart, Jack and Eva are great people, but together they are amazing. They're both aware of their sexuality chemistry - it's undeniable, after all - but it’s a slow burn that they take their time acting on, and that just makes the wait that much more seductive.

The bottom line: Zoë Archer is a talented author with a gift for getting right to the heart of her characters, making their stories compelling and their happily ever afters well deserved. Sweet Revenge is a great start to this series, and I’m so looking forward to reading Dangerous Seduction, Simon Addison-Shawe and Alyce Carr’s story.

My thanks to Zoë Archer and St. Martin’s Paperbacks for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

The Devil's Heart by Cathy Maxwell

 

On the Cover: They call her the Unattainable. Lady Margaret Chattan spurned every suitor for her hand, vowing never to marry. The only way to break the curse plaguing her family for two centuries is this ultimate sacrifice. But now her brothers' lives are in danger. Determined to save them, she risks her very soul by traveling into the heart of the highlands to battle a force that has transcended time.

Heath Macnachtan is not superstitious. Laird of the most independent, nonconforming, madly infuriating clan ever to grace Scotland, he believes he has his hands full. And then, a woman lauded as one of the most beautiful in England, arrives on his doorstep with wild accusations and a mystical quest . . . one that just might help him discover who murdered his own brother.

But the real danger for Heath and Margaret is not a supernatural foe, but a very real love that could destroy them both.

*****

"Love well, love fully, love completely. Because in life, love is all that truly matters."

Exciting, thrilling, passionate, and romantic, this final book is a brilliant, fitting end to Cathy Maxwell’s The Chattan Curse trilogy!

I’m not normally a fan of fantasy novels, but this trilogy really worked for me. The writing is excellent, the characters compelling, the world complex… it’s everything I could ask for, and more.

If you’ve been following these books then all you need to know about this installment, other than what we're given in the book blurb, is that Margaret and Heath are the last hope of breaking the curse that was cast upon Charles Chattan and his descendants almost 200 years earlier. And if you haven’t been following this story but are interested in doing so, I strongly urge you to start at the beginning and read in order. The world building and character development is critical early on, and to miss those books would be to miss watching two beautiful love stories unfold. These happily ever afters are just too good to pass up.

The bottom line: The Devil’s Heart is a truly well told story with a great cast of characters and plenty of twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how they could possibly succeed in time. Until this trilogy I hadn't read anything by Cathy Maxwell, but you can bet I'll be reading more by this very gifted writer.

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of The Devil's Heart in exchange for an honest review. It's been a pleasure!

To purchase the books in this series:

The Red Diary by Toni Blake

Sun, sand, and one woman's private fantasies recorded in a seductive red book . . .

Prim and proper Lauren Ash has a secret side no one else sees—she records her sexual fantasies, in intimate detail, in a very personal book meant for her eyes only.

When hired-hand Nick Armstrong finds the red diary, he's shocked…and aroused. Never before has he come across anything so private—or so sensual. And given the way the Ash family has hurt his, he soon begins to see this as a potent weapon for righting an old wrong. Wouldn't it serve the haughty Lauren right if he used her own fantasies to seduce her, make her fall in love, and then break her heart?

But there's much more to Lauren than Nick expects, and before he quite realizes it, he's opening himself—and his heart—to her. Can Nick let go of the past and surrender to Lauren, body and soul?

*****

The Red Diary

This is one of Toni Blake’s earlier novels, written in 2004 and recently re-released. It's a very steamy read and while there were things I loved, there were things I didn’t love, but still, all-in-all, an enjoyable story.

The plot:

Lauren Ash is the daughter of Ash Builders owner, Henry Ash. On the outside she’s prim and proper, but Lauren has a naughty secret – her red diary, in which she pens all her deepest, most erotic fantasies, never in her wildest dreams thinking that anyone else will ever read them.

Nick Armstrong is the owner of Horizon Painters, and he has a secret too. His company has been hired to paint Lauren’s house and Nick takes the job himself, wanting a glimpse of her life – a life that should have been his. But twenty years ago Lauren’s father cheated Nick’s father out of his half of the business, and now just a glimpse of the life he missed out on isn’t enough. Now Nick wants revenge, and he thinks he might just have found the way to get it – Lauren’s diary.

The characters:

Nick is a likeable character - very sexy, very smart - though I wasn’t completely on board with his reasons for wanting revenge, or the way he was going about getting it. But, he’s a man with a lot on his plate: running his own company, and helping support his sister Elaine and handicapped brother Davy. And he's got a lot on his mind: the grudge he’s been holding onto, one that’s turning him into a bitter, angry man.

Lauren’s character started out very weak, in my mind. She was easily led around by her friend, Carolyn, never really standing up for herself or making her own wants known. As the story progresses, she becomes a much stronger woman, but still, I never really connected with her.

The story:

As I said, this is a very sexy story, but the things I most enjoyed about it had nothing to do with sex, or our hero and heroine. What tugged at my heart and kept me turning the pages was the tragic story of Nick’s younger brother, Davy. He’s got such a sweet boy's heart and soul, trapped in a man’s body, after suffering a horrific, brain injury. It was the time I spent getting to know him, his likes and his interests, that really had my attention. What an emotional side-story his is.

The bottom line:

I'm a huge fan of Toni Blake's Destiny series, as well as her H.O.T. Cops series written as Lacey Alexander, and while I really did enjoy The Red Diary, I didn't love it. I had issues with Nick's sneaking around Lauren's house, reading her diary and plotting his revenge on this woman who had nothing to do with her father's deception. I also had issues with Lauren, in general. I found myself more interested in the secondary story-lines than that of our hero and heroine.

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of The Red Diary in exchange for an honest review.

The Highest Stakes by Emery Lee

The Highest Stakes is author Emery Lee’s debut novel and, quite simply put, a story of epic proportions! It’s a tale of betrayal, murder, redemption, love lost and love found, scheming, more betrayal, heroes and villains, heroines and shrews, war and peace, retribution, manipulation, love lost again, then found again, greed, humor, sorrow, twists, turns and… well… sounds a bit like a historical soap opera, doesn’t it? But I’m telling you… General Hospital was never this good!!

I've often found that in order to hold my attention, I need a story heavy on the romance, so having been told that this book isn’t really a romance at all, I hadn't felt the urge to read it. Really? Not a romance? Well, I beg to differ, because while romance is not the primary focus in this story, it’s definitely the reason for it! Yes, quite a lot of the tale is dedicated to the sport of horse racing, and the passion of all things equine, but the driving force behind this story is love, and doing whatever is needed to be with that one person who is more important to you than any other; the love of your life.

One of my very favorite things about historical novels is that wonderful feeling of leaving the present behind and being swept away to another time and place, and Emery Lee gave me that! With richly detailed descriptions of life in Georgian England and authentic period dialog, I was right there with our characters whether they were at the races, hearts pounding in anticipation of victory, or in battle fighting for their very lives, and even experiencing something as simple as that first kiss. I was there through it all and it doesn’t get any better than that.

While I do admit to skimming through most of the more detailed blood-lining and breeding techniques which took up a good bit of the early pages, what I did read of it was fascinating. And, for those of you who might be wondering, if I were to rate this story based on violence or sexuality, I’d call it PG-13. Any scenes of intimacy were only alluded to and took place behind closed doors. That said, while I normally like a little more steam in the books I read, I don't feel that this story suffered for the lack of it.

There were quite a few quotes I would have loved to use in this review, but most of them would have given away far too much of the story, so I’ve narrowed it down to just two. This first one comes after a scene I found quite heartbreaking and, like it or not, has the ring of truth to it.

"Now as to our business, sir. I have done your bidding, though it was clearly contrary to my conscience and cost me dearly. In truth, no dowry could compensate for what I have lost."

Sir Garfield pulled a fat coin purse from his pocket. "And what would you expect as recompense for your losses?"

"There is no restitution for integrity," he said bitterly.

"On the contrary, Major. Integrity always has a price. To lose or to keep; there is invariably a cost. Some just pay more dearly than others."

And this second quote – well, I was laughing as I read it. Those of us who love our historical romance novels know that many a bride-to-be didn’t want to be. So this little exchange between mother and daughter was pretty humorous, especially the first paragraph. Maybe it was this kind of thinking that gave birth to the phrase, "God's gift to women!"

Lady Felicia reassured her with a pat on the hand. "My dearest daughter, though it is a sad injustice, a woman seldom weds to her own volition. The Good Lord bestowed upon males the greater reasoning and intellect, thus it is for us women to obey them."

"But what if the man is a besotted lech… or a fusty bore… or ill-visaged, bad tempered, and deformed… or stingy, cruel, and close-fisted… or all of it!" she wailed.

"Trixie, I clearly sympathize, but pray cease the histrionics. As to your apprehensions, a clever woman can learn to manage her husband, even one who is… shall we say… less than desirable."

"But, Mama, I don't want such a husband!"

"Hear me out, Beatrix," she admonished. "If your husband should be faithless, affect ignorance. If he has a predilection for strong drink, feign tolerance; if he is choleric or sullen, be long-suffering until his mood spends itself. If he be a close-fisted despot, adopt a demure address. But if he be a weak and incompetent man, count your blessings, for you need only give him the very orders you should later receive from him. Lastly and most importantly, if you have wealth and position, your marriage need not be the least incommodious, regardless of your husband's temperament."

The bottom line - The Highest Stakes was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it to any fan of historical fiction and storylines that haven’t already been done to death. If you’re like me, you want to feel as though you’re actually a part of the stories you read rather than just a curious onlooker. You need to care about the men and women and their struggles and triumphs. Well, if that's the case, I really do think you’d enjoy this story. I found my emotions all over the place, feeling sorrow one minute, joy the next, and even laughing out loud at times! But most importantly, I found myself in love with our hero and heroine, Robert and Charlotte, and cheering them on as they fought the less than favorable odds for their happily ever after.

I’m very much looking forward to Philip’s story, Fortune’s Son, and can’t wait to see if, or how, he can possibly be redeemed!