Wonderful First For a New Series!

What a Wicked Earl Wants is the start to Vicky Dreiling’s Sinful Scoundrel series. It is a delightful tale of what happens when two people who are determined to remain single come together for a worthy cause and find love along the way. It is a typical Dreiling book in that it is filled with plenty of humor, heart wrenching emotion and wonderful secondary characters that will engage your heart along with your mind.

 It is the complicated and often emotional tale of Andrew, the Earl of Bellingham, a known rake who is determined to never form a permanent commitment or to ever marry and have children. It is also the tale of Laura, Lady Chesfield a widow who has come to London to allow her step-son the chance to enjoy the London season with his friends. Like with Bell, Laura is also determined not to remarry, as all she wants to do is to raise her stepson. Laura finds herself at wits end as her stepson begins to rebel by staying out late and getting drunk with his friends. When Bell witnesses the boy’s rebellion first hand, he soon finds himself do everything he can to protect Laura and her son from her son’s guardian.  Bell and Laura’s romance is slow to develop but as it does it filled with the right mix of passion and tenderness.

I loved Bell’s friends Colin and Harry, each have fantastic personalities and made for many humorous moments throughout the story. I found myself more captivated by Bell’s character as he found himself dealing with his grief from the loss of his family. There were moments when I wanted to strangle Laura as she came off wishy-washy at times, when it came to dealing with her budding feelings for Bell.

All in all What a Wicked Earl Wants is a really good historical romance that any person who enjoys the genre can melt into. Vicky Dreiling has that knack of penning remarkable characters that stick with you page after page and keeps her readers returning for more.

Arc provided by Forever for an honest review

4 ½ Star Read

A Heartfelt and Intriguing Romance

It Takes Two to Tangle is my first foray into reading author Theresa Romain’s books.  It Takes Two to Tangle is overall a good book but, while I liked the book, I didn’t love it and I will spell out my reasons why. 

Henry Middlebrook has returned from the Napoleonic Wars, wounded with a lost soul. The loss of his right arm has left him unable to resume the simple pleasure he had before leaving for the war. As a way for him to gain a bit of his previous peaceful life, Henry begins to seek a wife. He soon sets his cap on Lady Caroline Stratton. In order to pursue Lady Caroline, Henry enlists the aid of her companion and cousin Frances Whittier. Frances is no stranger to the war wounded, having lost her own husband in the war.  Frances has a sharp wit and an equally sharp tongue and for as content as she is in her role in life, secretly her heart yearns for more.  At a chance meeting Frances secretly begins to pen letters to Henry in her cousin’s name, which offers him the confidence that her cousin is interested in his pursuit.  When Henry learns that without the use of his right arm, he has difficulties replying to the letters and thus enlists Frances’ aid when it comes to replying to the letters.

Both Henry and Frances are very interesting characters. They both are very intelligent and intriguing characters. The problem I ran into when reading this book is that it took over half the book for Henry to take notice of Frances in a romantic light.  Once his notice is taken book moves quickly, and is very heartfelt. It is obvious that these characters belong together from the beginning but it takes a bit longer than I would have liked for them to mesh. 

Theresa Romain has written and enjoyable troupe with both vibrant first and secondary characters. This book is not your typical quick feel good read as it takes time building up to those tradition feel good moments. It explores Henry’s grief and Frances’ losses and their attempts at rebuilding their lives. It explores the impact on the families involved with war wounded soldier. The book hooked me from the start, and it kept me until the midway spot. At that point I was quite invested in Henry as a character and wanted to continue in order to see what was to come. The book regains its speed after the half way point and holds until the emotional end.

Would I recommend this book? But of course, but I would also make it clear that is not the typical light fluffy romance that many readers seem to enjoy. It is heavy on the emotions and delight by the end. That said I cannot wait to delve into Lady Caroline’s story, which is sure to come.

Arc provided by Sourcebooks

4 Stars

A Sexy Marine/Manny? What More Could You Ask For?

Tawna Fenske is fast becoming my go to author for that sexy laugh a minute read. In her latest release Marine for Hire, Fenske pairs a sexy marine with a recently divorced mother of infant twins and what do you get?  The basic premise is big bad marine Sam portraying a nanny (or manny, as the book describes) in order to guard and protect the sister of a fellow marine from her stalker “ish” ex husband. The ink on Sheri’s divorce papers is barely dry when she finds herself in need of a nanny in order to return to work. Upon meeting Sam the sparks begin to fly for this loveable pair and the laughs just keep coming. Add in some intriguing secondary characters and this book simply becomes one of those all around feel good reads.

Although Marine for Hire has its fair share of steamy scenes, and that this book is from Entangled’s Brazen line of book it is not quite as steamy as other titles I’ve read by this publisher. I loved every inch of this book, from its sweet romance to its intriguing storyline. Fenske proves that she has the humorous writing talent to run with the big comedic romance authors.  As for Marine for Hire it is the start of a series that this reader is looking forward to following.

4 ½ Starred Review; Arc provided by Entangled for an honest unpaid review

Sweet and Delightful Debut Romance

I came into this book thinking it was another Fifty Shades style romance filled with dominance and kinky scenes, but Jessica Lemmon’s Tempting the Billionaire is anything but a Fifty Shades book. I was expecting this to be your typical romantic fluff and I was surprised by the humor and wit that makes up this fantastic book.

Crickitt Day is dealing with the emotions left by the end of her nine year marriage. She is jobless and heartbroken, when her friend talks her into a night on the town. Tired and emotionally drained she finds herself crying at the bar. Shane August, owner of August Industries is out on the town with his cousin Aiden.  When the pair spy Crickitt crying at the bar they assume that she’s an easy target, however Shane feels a connection and her pain radiating from across the bar. When Shane discovers Crickitt needs work, he instantly offers her a job with his company. Hesitant at first but needing the job, Crickitt agrees to an interview. Shane is not without his own emotional baggage. He has no desire to ever get married and feels that the only person he can lean on is himself.  As they begin to work together, Crickitt and Shane find themselves thinking more and more about the other and sparks begin to fly between these two lost souls.

Tempting the Billionaire is filled with plenty of emotion and a lot of heart. It is very entertaining and leaves readers wanting to more. Highly enjoyable and an easy read with great secondary characters, I would recommend Tempting the Billionaire to anyone who enjoys heartfelt romance.

4 ½ Stars, Arc provided by Grand Central Publishing for review

A Fantastic and Emotional Debut!

If I Didn’t Have You is a solid emotional debut by newcomer Kimberly Larson.  I enjoyed Lydia’s emotional journey from losing her husband to finding love again. Page after page shows just how the emotional rollercoaster of love can be after losing love. Larson shows a solid knack of getting to the heart and the emotions of her characters. I loved Lydia and Greyson and their journey.  It held my interest from the first chapter to the final page.  The book is not without errors, but that I find is more on the editing side.  If you are looking for a sweet and emotional journey, then don’t be afraid to take a chance on if I Didn’t Have You!

4 Starred Review

Gripping Romantic Suspense!

Alone book four in the Bone Secrets series proves once more why Kendra Eliot she has become a favorite must have author. The book starts off with a bang as six teenage girls are found laid out in a circle, five of those girls are dead and the sixth is still barely alive. Victoria Peres a forensic anthropologist is called in as the case is a mirror image of another decades old murder. Victoria must try to figure out clues from old bones left from the previous case. She must also deal with the return of her first love Seth. Victoria and Seth have a history, they fell in love in college but when Seth discovers a child is his a nasty breakup ensues.  As threats begin to target Victoria, the pair find themselves working together to solve the murders all while rekindling old feelings.

Kendra Elliot is fast becoming a personal favorite. Her Bones Secret novels are always filled with the right blend of romance and suspense. Alone is no exception, it has great suspense, great romance and a fantastic cast of characters all with their own stories to be told. Alone can be read as a standalone but I would highly suggest reading the series as a whole; several of Eliot’s previous characters do make their appearance.

4 ½ Starred Top Pick 

Sweet and Sexy Contemporary Romance

I never thought I would call and erotic romance but, Willow James/ Sara Humphreys’ Pumped is a steamy and sweet contemporary romance all rolled into one tight package. Pumped is the first book in James’s Stilettos and Seduction trilogy and if the first book is any indication readers are going to return for more. Skylar and Griffin are both looking for sex without the relationship strings being attached. They enter into an agreement keeping their personal lives personal. The impersonal relationship all begins to change as emotions start to come into play for the couple. The book began with steam and ends with a tender and emotional sweetness.  The characters are well developed and the dialogue draws readers in and keeps rolling through the pages.  Pumped is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it to those who love contemporary romance.  It is a steamy romance but with a tight plot the steam fits the story.

4 ½ Starred Pick