The Lass Wore Black by Karen Ranney

Catriona Cameron was once famed for her seductive beauty and charm. Now she saw no one, hiding from the world...and no one dared break through her self-imposed exile.

No one, that is, until Mark Thorburn burst into her home, and Catriona's darkened world began to have color again. Thorburn, secretly the heir to an Earldom, claimed he was a footman. But Catriona didn't care about the scandal their passion could cause...for this very touch sparked her back to a life of sensuality, one she thought she'd never have again.

Little does she know that Mark is part of masquerade. One that will end when they become the target of a madman set on revenge. Mark realizes he will have to do more than win her love...he will have to save her life as well.

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In a genre saturated with the usual plot props – tales of the ton, seasons, heirs, peerage – it’s always a treat to read a story that can tackle those elements and make them unique. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the traditional historical romance novels, too, but The Lass Wore Black brings something different to the mix, and I can’t tell you how refreshing that is!

Karen Ranney is an author who’s been around for awhile, and despite my love of historical romance, I hadn’t yet read any of her books. I was pleased to find that her writing is engaging and her characters are interesting people whose stories are worth telling.

Well, truth be told, I had a problem with Catriona for the first half of the book, but if I had started reading with the understanding that it’s a Beauty and the Beast meets The Ugly Duckling type tale, I’d have been better prepared for her shallow, bitter disposition. That said, there did come a point when she began to see that the woman she had been and the woman she had the potential to be were worlds apart. When she finally cast off her veil, so-to-speak, and allowed herself an honest view of the world around her, she became a truly compelling heroine, one whom I could cheer for.

Mark isn’t your run-of-the-mill historical romance hero. He’s part of a distinguished family, that’s true, but he’s also a doctor, someone who understands the adage, “Where much is given, much is expected.” He’s a wealthy man, thanks to his grandmother, and he could have easily used that wealth to pay others to care for the needy, but he doesn’t. He’s a man who puts himself right into the thick of things and uses his medical training to help those people who can’t afford doctors and medicines. He teaches them about ways to improve their health and circumstances, and it’s clear he truly cares for those less fortunate than himself. I easily invested in Mark from the start and found him to be an honorable, passionate and very sexy man.

The story itself is intriguing, though not without some minor flaws - I do wish the dialog had felt and sounded more authentic. There was no indication of the Scottish brogue I would have expected, and I missed that.  It was Catriona's journey from a bleak existence to a life worth living that made this such a compelling read, and that wouldn't have happened without Mark at her side, sometimes gently guiding her forward while other times prodding, but always loving, and never giving up.

The bottom line: The Lass Wore Black is an emotional, romantic, sexy tale. It’s entertaining, engaging, unique, and a story I won’t soon forget!

My thanks to Avon Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this book for review. It’s been such a pleasure!

Seduced by a Pirate (Fairy Tales #4.5) by Eloisa James

Charming, witty, romantic, sexy… I loved this novella! What it lacks in page count it more than makes up for in story, and this is how novellas should be done!

Blurb....In Eloisa James's companion story to The Ugly Duchess, Sir Griffin Barry, captain of the infamous pirate ship The Poppy, is back in England to claim the wife he hasn't seen since their wedding day . . . but this is one treasure that will not be so easy to capture.

*****
I’ll say it again, just in case I wasn’t clear: I. Loved. This. Story! I loved Griffin, Pheobe, Shark, Griffin’s dad the Viscount Moncrieff, Lyddie, Nanny McGillycuddy, Alastair, Margaret, and especially the adorably fierce, wee pirate in training, Colin. I hadn’t realized just how much I wanted to read Griffin's story until I had read Griffin's story and loved every word!

I smiled, giggled, and sighed my way through Seduced by a Pirate, and while I wish it had been longer, it didn’t need to be longer to be a delightful story, one I’ll read again and again!

Bravo, Ms. James’! Well done!

My thanks to HarperCollins/Avon Publishing for providing me a copy of this novella for review. It was such a pleasure!

The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James

 

How can she dare to imagine he loves her…when all London calls her The Ugly Duchess?

Theodora Saxby is the last woman anyone expects the gorgeous James Ryburn, heir to the Duchy of Ashbrook, to marry. But after a romantic proposal before the prince himself, even practical Theo finds herself convinced of her soon-to-be duke's passion.

Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.

Theo would have given it a lifetime…until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation.

Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.

And Theo will quickly find that for a man with the soul of a pirate, All's Fair in Love—or War.

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The Ugly Duchess is yet another wonderful story in Eloisa James’ Fairy Tales series. In all that it is charming, romantic, funny and sweetly sexy, it’s also heartwarming, poignant and a truly beautiful love story. 

There’s something so special about Ms. James’ retelling of these classic stories. We read the originals as children and learned valuable lessons, and now, as adults, we can read them and learn those lessons again while being entertained and seduced by the magic and power of love.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I adored James who had loved Theo, his Daisy, since childhood. Best friends, companions, confidantes… these are the things enduring relationships are built on, and James and Daisy had that, and more, from the start.

Of course this tale is about recognizing where real beauty is found, and in this scene, one of my favorites of the story, that lesson was beautifully delivered -

“If you ever utter a word about my wife that is less than complimentary, I will not slam you against the wall again. I will instead send you through a window. And not on the ground floor, either.”

James didn’t wait for an answer; who expects garbage to answer back? Instead, he held out his arm to his wife.

When they turned, they saw that the gallery was now crammed with people.

“My duchess,” James stated, his eyes sweeping the crowd with the air of a man who has ruled the waves. “She is not a swan, because that would imply she had once been an ugly duckling.”

He glanced down at Theo. Her eyes were painted with an exotic tilt at the corners. Her cheekbones were regal and her bottom lip was colored a perfect red that made it more kissable than it already was. Small but lush breasts, skin the color of clear moonlight, rose above a waist the size of a man’s hand.

But none of that mattered compared to the innate kindness in her eyes, the joyful turn of her lip, the wild intelligence with which she greeted every day.

That was beautiful.

And so is this story. I laughed, sighed and even got weepy a few times. And now, as I sit here thinking back on this charming tale, I can't help but smile for all the Daisies and their James' throughout history who understood that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, and as Confucius so insightfully told us, "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

And how sad are their lives for all that they miss.

My sincerest 'thank you' to HarperCollins/Avon Publishing for sending me a review copy of this wonderful story. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!