Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

Anyone who reads historical romance has probably already been introduced to the art form that is Lisa Kleypas’ storytelling, so you’ll understand when I say that there really are no words to describe just what a talented writer she is. Therefore, I’ll save you all a lot of time and keep this short.

It must not be easy to give readers the feel of a full length novel in a short story such as this because very few authors actually do it. But with Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, we were given a truly sweet story with just the right amount of holiday magic. It’s a heartwarming tale that has all the right ingredients to make this a 5 star read. There’s Holly, an adorable little girl whose loss broke my heart. We have Mark Nolan, a very sexy hero who, because he understands the importance of family and was willing - without hesitation - to give up his own life’s plans to care for niece, earned my respect. And finally, Maggie Collins, a truly enjoyable heroine who I came to admire because while she had heartbreaking emotional baggage, she didn’t let it ruin her life. And I haven’t even mentioned Mark’s brothers, Alex and Sam, who were amazing men in their own right and will no doubt have fabulous stories. Wow! All this was accomplished in just over 200 pages.

And why did that surprise me? In a way, it didn’t – this is Lisa Kleypas we’re talking about here – but this was my first contemporary read by her, so I had no idea what to expect. Silly me! There are some authors who might be fabulous writing within the confines of one genre but can’t venture any further than that or they lose their magic. And then there are some authors who, regardless of the genre, can do no wrong. Lisa Kleypas is one of those rarities, and Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor is without a doubt, proof of that.

And look at this - I went on longer than I had intended, but when it comes to Ms. Kleypas' stories, that's easy to do.

I'm very excited that Rainshadow Road will be out soon, because I just don't think I could wait much longer!
5/5 Stars

Christmas Mischief by Mary Jo Putney

This book of 3 short historical romance stories by Mary Jo Putney is my first read by this author. Anthologies are hard for me to review and rate because I worry I’ll say too much, so in this case I won’t give away much about the storylines because they’re short enough that to do so would be to spoil the reads entirely.

The Christmas Cuckoo - 3/5 stars

A case of mistaken identity gives this holiday tale a humorous twist. This was a sweet story, but without much substance to it, then toward the end, things became more interesting. I had finally started caring about Jack and Meg, and then before I knew it, the story was over. I wish I’d had more time to spend with the Lambert family, to see how things would come together.


Sunshine for Christmas - 4/5 stars

According to the author, this story is related to a secondary character, Lord Randolf Lennox, who had lost his lady love because of a “single bit of foolishness when he was young.” He had appeared in the full length novel called The Rake (originally published as The Rake and the Reformer ), and Ms. Putney decided that he was deserving of a happily ever after, too.

The first story, The Christmas Cuckoo was my first read by this author and I had expected that this one would have the same feel, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of emotion in this story and I really enjoyed it! So much so, in fact, that I want to get my hands on The Rake!


The Christmas Tart – 3.5/5 stars

This was another sweet story about finding love and acceptance in the most unusual of circumstances. I enjoyed the Phillip’s and Nicole’s stories, and it was nice to see a happy hero, one who had been raised in a loving home and who appreciated family.


The Bottom Line - These three stories were fun to read. There was very little, if any, heat at all, but the romances made for sweet and enjoyable reading.

3.75/5 stars

Naughty and Nice Holiday Anthology

Holiday Sparks -  Shannon Stacey  3.5/4 Stars

Chloe Burke has come home to house sit for her parents who have taken a holiday cruise. It’s been a long time since Chloe has been here, and much to her surprise the house is an accident waiting to happen. She learns this the hard way when she tries use the microwave and loses electricity to half the house. Had she found the note her mother left explaining that she shouldn’t use the microwave while the light over the sink was on, she wouldn’t have had the problem. This note listed several other things she shouldn’t do - such as blow dry her hair in the bathroom with the light on.  Concerned for her parent’s safety, she decides that for Christmas she’ll have her parent’s house rewired and puts in a call to the town’s electrician who, unbeknownst to her, is very happy to hear from Chloe.

Scott Quinn has had a crazy secret crush on Chloe Burke ever since high school, but when she moved away to Boston, he moved on with his own life, too – not that she’d ever noticed him anyway. Now she’s back and in need of his electrical skills, and he can’t help but imagine his other “skills” he’d like to impress her with.

Holiday Sparks is my first read by this author and I enjoyed it. This was a sweet, romantic story with enough sizzle to heat things up and make this a sexy holiday read.

All She Wants for Christmas –  Jaci Burton 4 Stars

A deep hurt and betrayal sent Riley Jenson running from her home in Deer Lake, from Amanda, who she thought was her best friend, and from Ethan, who she thought was her boyfriend. But catching them in bed together told her she’d been wrong about all that. She wasn’t about to stick around and ask questions – she didn’t need to – the answers were right there in front of her eyes. Now, 10 years later Riley is a huge Nashville star and she’s come back to her hometown, strictly for business. She doesn’t want to see Ethan or Amanda, who married after she left, and plans to do anything she can to avoid them. But what she doesn’t know is that Amanda has passed away, and fate—and her agent—bring Ethan and Riley face to face again. Can they work things out and let go of all the hurt they’ve known these past 10 years? Well, it’s Christmas time in Deer Lake and anything is possible.

I enjoyed this story a lot more than I thought I would. When I learned that Ethan had slept with his girlfriend’s best friend, I was tempted to skip the story, but since I’m reading/reviewing this for Netgalley, I thought it only fair that I stick it out. I’m glad I did. It turned out to be an awesome story of understanding and forgiveness, and a steamy holiday read.

Unwrapped – Megan Hart 3 Stars

Leah and Brandon Long are spending their first Christmas together as newlyweds skiing in Vail, but a twisted ankle has Leah off the slopes with nothing but time on her hands. So what are the newlyweds to do? Well, skiing is out of the question, but they manage to fill their days with some easy going sightseeing and lots of sex.  I liked the message of the story, about letting go of the past and learning to trust, learning to give and take, but I wish it had been a more obvious part of the story and not just there at the end. 

Unwrapped is an epilogue type short connected to Taking Care of Business and No Reservations, and while I wasn’t confused at all by having not read those two books, I didn’t have much of an emotional investment in the couple. The sex was plentiful and would have probably been very erotic had I cared more about Leah and Brandon. I was also disappointed that this story didn’t have that same holiday magic that the previous two did.

Believe – Lauren Dane – 5 stars.

I loved this story! Believe is another epilogue type short in this anthology, this time connected to the novel Second Chances, which I haven’t read yet. I wasn’t at all lost while reading Believe and was actually surprised to learn this wasn’t a standalone because it was so well written and I felt completely invested in and connected to Rori Helm and Jude Callahan, not only as a couple, but as people trying to heal from a rocky past and the death of Rori’s husband, Zach.

Years after Zach’s death, Rori and Jude are a couple, trying to make their own history together, a life without Zach’s memory influencing them. They both love and miss him, but now is their time together and they want to move forward instead of living in the shadow of the past.  Jude decides that a Christmas getaway together is just what they need and arranges a secluded cabin where they can devote themselves to one another and not have to worry about friends and relatives dropping by while he’s got his beautiful woman naked, tied up, and screaming for…well…you get the idea

This is a very hot, sexy story, with some light BDSM and I will definitely be getting my hands on Second Chances.

Lust by Charlotte Featherstone

“High and mighty they call me. Frigid. But I am neither of those things. I am Chastity—my name and my virtue. It is who I am, my entire being. It, I fear, is my prison.”

Every one hundred years, seven women are born, each the embodiment of one of the seven blessed virtues; chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility. Chastity Lennox is one of four sisters who were born Virtues and she has lived her life believing that she’d never feel what a woman should feel for a man. She believed herself to be merely a vessel whose body would be a thing for her future husband to take his own pleasure from, finding her joy and solace in the children she would bear him. She never believed she’d know passion, arousal - lust.

“You do not know the power of the Dark Fae,” she murmured, wringing her hands. “Their glamour, it is the most beautiful in the world. Their seduction, the sweetest, most heady arousal you have ever felt. Even as your mind hates them, your body—“ she trembled then steeled herself, “—your body desires them, craves them. These women, they may not have a chance to protect themselves if they fall prey to a Dark Fae’s glamour.”

Thane is a fey prince, a Dark Fey, who, because of his father’s transgressions, has been cursed to bear one of the seven cardinal sins. He, along with his brothers, each embody one of the dark sins; vanity, gluttony, envy, wrath, avarice, and sloth, and drawn to his Sin’s opposite, needing her to break the curse on his family, Thane is determined to make Chastity his, in every possible way. He’ll take his time, woo her, seduce her, win her over, for only if she comes willingly to his Unseelie court will the spell be broken. But Thane’s sin is Lust. It lives within him, a separate being and it fights Thane, demanding to possess the innocent Chastity - now - and Lust will not be denied.

“Like the visit from the angel Gabriel to Mary, my father was visited in his slumber from the faery queen, who foretold the coming of our births and the importance of not only myself, but my three sisters. In his dreams, it was whispered to him the part we would play in a world that we had not yet seen—a world it seems, we will never really become a part of.”

Lust is a story of blessings and curses, virtues and sins. It’s a tale of right and wrong, good and evil, innocence and guile. I loved how quickly I was pulled in and how it had me feeling sympathetic for both the Seelie ("good") and the Unseelie ("bad") Courts. I found myself loathing the “good” guys and cheering on the “bad” guys and wishing that somehow, both sides could win!! Truth be told, I wasn’t just pulled into the story, I was enveloped by it.

“Yes, yield to me. Let me come to you as I am. Embrace the darkness in me, and let me take you…corrupt you.”

Charlotte Featherstone knows how to write erotica, there’s no question about that, but this book was so, so much more. It’s magical, mystical, fanciful, sensual, and most definitely erotic. But most importantly, it's a truly romantic experience - a love story. While reading Lust, I felt like I was living the fairytale – the Dark Feyry Tale – and I didn’t want it to end.

"I am a virtue. A savior in my new home, for the Unseelie Court is now home. The Dark Fey my family. I have given up my mortal life to become the first of seven women to save a dying court – a court as misunderstood as I once believed I was.

My family resides “up top” in the mortal realm. I come to them at night, in their dreams, through the magic of my husband. I miss them, especially my sisters whose fates are entwined with mine. I speak to them of the splendor of the court, the pleasures that await them – the princes who desire them. But they are still virtues, and not ready to heed to call of desire. But still, their Sins await them, ever patient, ever proud. Ever eager to give them a taste of the desires harbored within a dark fey. Soon they will come. They will listen to their hearts, and they will trust as I have trusted. We will be reunited—in this world. I am certain of it."

It's not often I'm left so in need to have the next book in my hands, but I am truly - truly, looking forward to Vanity, the second story in The Sins and the Virtue series.

5/5 stars

----This ebook was provided to me by NetGalley.com

Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy

A big shout-out to whoever listed this “dish” as part of the "We Love Lisa Klepas Pot Luck Reading Challenge" on Goodreads! THANK YOU!!!

Flat-Out Sexy is my first read by Erin McCarthy and I am so, so looking forward to the next installment of the Fast Track series. This was a fun, sexy read. A great story, nothing heavy or angsty, just a “sit back and enjoy the ride” good time! And that’s exactly what I was looking for. I’m not going to go into plot detail, because the story blurb tells you quite enough without me re-hashing it for you, but I will share my thoughts about the characters.

Elec is such a great guy. Easy going, caring, hard working…the perfect non-alpha/caveman type hero. He was patient with Tamara and respected her need for privacy and discretion when it came to their relationship. I appreciate that in him, and was glad that he didn’t just tolerate it, but truly understood it. That spoke volumes about what a thoughtful man he was. I thought that Tamara was also awesome. A young, widowed, mother of 2 kids, she did a great job caring for them and trying to provide them with the right atmosphere. I love how the relationship development took place. She didn’t just jump right into dating, nor did she suddenly thrust Elec on her kids. She respected their memory of their father and took her time easing them into the idea of having another man around. That was very real to me, and made me think of her as more than just a character written on the page, but a living, breathing, caring mother.

As for our secondary characters, there was quite a bit of angst, bitterness, animosity between Suzanne, Tamara’s best friend, and Ryder, Suzanne’s ex-husband. Clearly there are unresolved issues in that relationship and I can’t wait to read their book and find out exactly what that said issues are! Then we also have the whole Ty-Nikki-Imogen thing brewing. Nikki, while I’m certain she does have more brain cells than a grain of sand, though not many, seems like such a sweet girl. But I just get the feeling that “sweet” isn’t enough for Ty, and I’m wondering - hoping - that Imogen might have a chance at winning his heart.

Wow! I’m glad I chose this book as part of my “meal plan” and am truly excited to read more of this series.

4/5 stars

Warrior by Zoe Archer

“And what are these paragons called, who safeguard the world, and save England from herself?”

Before she even spoke, he knew that everything was about to change. And change forever.

“The Blades of the Rose.”

With the Blades of the Rose series, Zoe Archer has given us a fabulous new world. With characters that captivate and situations that are exciting and action packed, Warrior is a cross between Indiana Jones and The Mummy. Trying to fit this into a single genre is difficult because this story is fantasy, historical romance, action/adventure and steamy hot goodness all rolled into one.

Captain Gabriel Huntley of the Thirty-third Regiment witnessed a brutal attack, and tried to intervene. In the end the victim, Anthony Morris, died, but not before he in turn saved Gabriel’s life. Anthony’s dying request is that Gabriel deliver a compass, and a message, to his friend Franklin Burgess - in Outer Mongolia! Far away, true, but did Gabriel really have a choice, though? After all, Morris had just saved his life, but still… Outer Mongolia? But then Morris pleads, “Please. You must deliver the message to Burgess. Thousands of lives at stake. More, many more.” Gabriel knows there’s no way around it, he has to go – his honor and the debt owed to a dying man demanded it. Then, three months later when the message is delivered, he realizes that his journey hasn’t ended, it’s only just begun.

Thalia Burgess would like nothing more than to follow in her father’s footsteps and be accepted into the Blades of the Rose, a secret society whose members devote their lives to making sure that certain magical artifacts never fall into the hands of The Heirs, another secret organization who would use the powers held by the artifacts to gain control over the entire world. But she’s not so sure about this Gabriel Huntley who came all the way from England, bringing news of Anthony Morris’ death, and isn’t interested in accepting his help, in fact, she wants nothing to do with him at all.

After delivering the message to Burgess and his daughter, Thalia, Gabriel is even more curious about what it all means - the significance of the compass and the cryptic message. He’s offered his help, but it’s clear to him his help isn’t wanted. But why let a little thing like that stop him? Gabriel decides he’s going to help, whether the Burgesses want him to or not, and it’s a good thing for us he did, because the story that follows is so, so good and I would have hated to have to missed it!

Gabriel and Thalia are great together! I love strong, independent heroines, and what makes this even more appealing is that Gabriel comes to recognize her strengths and doesn’t get all alpha/caveman and refuse to let her use them to help find the priceless, magical artifact before The Heirs get to it first. The story – their journey – had me sitting on the edge of my seat, anxiously following along as they discovered more and more about The Heirs, the artifacts, and even themselves.

Warrior is a fast paced, exciting introduction into this series, and I’m happy I decided to give it a try. It’s not the kind genre mix that I usually find appealing, but Zoe Archer has created a world so interesting, so captivating, that I can’t wait to read the next books, Scoundrel, Rebel and Stranger, and see what lies in store for the Blades of the Rose.

4.5/5 stars.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by J. Ashley

Having read and LOVED The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, I thought I’d go crazy waiting for this book to come out, and at times I nearly did. But let me just say, it was well worth the wait!

Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage is, of course, Roland “Mac” and Isabella Mackenzie’s story. From the first book in the Highland Pleasures series, we learned that they had married under unconventional, AKA scandalous, circumstances, then separated a few years later. It was clear that their relationship had been intense, a roller coaster ride of epic proportions, and that there were still deep, unresolved feelings between them. This book gives us a much closer look into their relationship and what went wrong.

I’ll start off by saying that while I love this book, I mean really love it, it still didn’t quite compare to my absolutely-over-the-top-bordering-on-unhealthy-adoration of Ian’s book, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and honestly, I’m not terribly surprised. I’m only mentioning this to you, dear readers of this review, because in most series, the first book is the weakest and the others just get better and better. In this case, I found the first book to be incredibly phenomenal and the second book merely wonderfully splendid!!!

That said, here’s what I loved about Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage :

Jennifer Ashley has the Mackenzie family down to an art. Each brother has his very own quirks and peculiarities, which was quite fashionable during that time period which means that while in some circles they were merely tolerated, in others they were nearly worshipped. While Ian’s “madness” wasn’t something he could control, it made him such an endearing character, and some of the highpoints of Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage were the times we spent with him.

Mac is an artist, and like most artists are, he’s quite eccentric. But what I adored about him was that he was so willing and able to accept the blame for what went wrong in his marriage, and he believes that most, if not all, of their problems were his fault. He makes no excuses for his behaviors and is willing to do whatever it takes to win Isabella’s heart again. The thing is, and what Mac doesn’t understand is that he hasn’t really lost it, not yet anyway. But we can’t mistake his acceptance of blame for playing the martyr, which he did not. My grandmother, on the other hand, was the queen of disingenuous martyrdom! She was someone who didn’t like to accept blame. She had this act she’d fall into whenever someone accused her of something that she knew darn well she was guilty of. “Go ahead, heap it on! Blame me, my shoulders are wide,” she’d say, slapping herself on the shoulders, “I can take it!” The thing was, we all knew she was in the wrong and knew that she knew she was wrong, but she played that part to get everyone to shut up. LOL!!! Ummm… yeah, so, where was I? Oh, yes! There was nothing like this about Mac. He was actually very straightforward about what blame he’d take as his own and what he would not, which is why I believe that he meant what he said when he said he was the one who had ultimately driven Isabella away. Wow! How refreshing is it to find that in a man?!?

Isabella was so, so young when they met and married. There was no way she would have the “tools” or the experience to deal with a man like Mac, yet she fell in love with him anyway. I have to admire the way she tried and tried and then when she finally what her entire life would be if she didn’t do something, she finally left him. For one so young, she was amazingly insightful. Thankfully for her, and for us, Ian had been there for her over the years of her and Mac’s separation. All of the Mackenzie brothers were. They adored her and still saw her as a member of their family. They watched out for her, protected her, and loved her every bit as much as they ever had – in fact, even though blood is thicker than water, I think if they had had to choose between Mac and Isabella, they would have chosen her. Their unfailing devotion to her was a brilliant bit of storytelling because it allowed us to accept her easy, believable return to the family when it happened.

With the exception of a subplot used to help propel the reuniting of Mac and Isabella that I thought was rather weak and didn’t really “grab” me, I adored every minute of this book. And while, as I said, I didn’t care for that subplot, I loved the outcome, for what it means for Mac and Isabella. And of course, the high points of the book were Ian’s appearances. I’m thinking that once this series is through, Jennifer Ashley should just write a series based solely on Ian – perhaps he’d make a great investigator with his eye for detail and being able to read even the most subtle of nuances. And I’ll be the heroine **big grin**

Now, I have a question/thought for those of you who have read both books - Spoiler Why do you suppose Inspector Fellows, who was revealed to be a ½ brother to the Mackenzies, is never mentioned as such, either in character dialog or in author narrative, in this book? I found that odd and it had me questioning whether or not I was remembering correctly exactly who Inspector Fellows was.End Spoilers

Well, I’m going to stop here because I’m just rambling anyway and honestly, I could go on for pages and pages about the Mackenzies and yet never do them justice. I just adore them, each and every one of them, but the truth of the matter is that I’m not eloquent enough a speaker or writer to express in words how much I feel for this incredible family. I’ll just say this; Jennifer Ashley, with the help of Clan Mackenzie, has created another masterpiece with Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage.