Wonderful by Cheryl Holt (Reluctant Brides Trilogy #3)

Wonderful by Cheryl Holt

Genre: Historical Romance

Bottom Line: Too similar to the previous two novels for my liking. My hopes for a good hero were dashed once again.

Reluctant Brides Trilogy
1.  Wicked
2.  Wanton
3.  Wonderful

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Evangeline Etherton loved her years as a teacher at Miss Peabody’s School for Girls. But with Miss Peabody’s passing, the school is shut down, and Evangeline is on her way to marry a fiancé she’s never met. She never imagined herself as a bride and is reluctant to abandon the independent life she enjoyed as an unwed female. When she meets her betrothed—a fussy, stern vicar—she’s certain she shouldn’t proceed. They have nothing in common and a match between them can only lead to disaster and misery. But as a spinster with no funds or family, she’s out of options. 

Aaron Drake has always been perfect. As the eldest son and heir to an earl, he’s never engaged in mischief, taken an awkward step, or headed in the wrong direction. But with his marriage swiftly approaching—to a tedious, unpleasant snob—he’s suddenly desperate to do something reckless and wild before he’s shackled in what he’s sure will be an unappealing and dreary marriage. When he meets pretty, vivacious Evangeline, he can’t help but think she just might be the cure for what ails him. 

Seduction seems the only path, but when romance blossoms and passions heat, can love be far behind? 

RELUCTANT BRIDES… When love is the key and dowry the bait, who can predict what a woman might do?

My Thoughts:

I was clinging to the hope that this would be the redeeming book in the series, since Aaron seemed like a very good man in Wanton. Unfortunately, I just found more of the same. This plot is an echo of the previous two books, just with slightly less horrible characters and a different setup for the hero and heroine. While Aaron started out strong , I quickly learned to dislike him just as much as the other two heroes.

Evangeline was my favorite of the ladies in this trilogy, mainly because she had a bit of spunk (even though she was just as obnoxiously naive as Rose and Amelia). Aaron is suffering from an arranged marriage to a horrible girl and his need to do his duty when he meets Evangeline (cue sparks). Now, Aaron did a lot of things in this book that bothered me, but that I will admit were understandable for a man of his position (wanting a mistress, thinking with his...not his brain, wanting everyone to obey him).  I will let these slide since they are products of his position as Viscount and future Earl. But the thing that really pissed me off was how deceptive he was to get what he wanted from Evangeline. While I think he did a slightly better job than Lucas at groveling to get his woman back, I still don't think he should have been forgiven so easily.

The plot of this book was slightly more bearable than the previous two, though at times it seemed like a repeat of the other novels. I would have rated it higher, but I felt especially let down by Aaron since I actually LIKED him at the start of the book. It seems like he was morphed from a good, moral person into a total jerk just to fit into the theme of the trilogy (which seems to be "your man sucks, but you might be pregnant so you better forgive him and get married...stat").

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Cheryl Holt  

Wanton by Cheryl Holt (Reluctant Brides Trilogy #2)

Wanton by Cheryl Holt

Genre: Historical Romance

Bottom Line: A small improvement from the first book in the series, but still a fairly unconvincing romance

Reluctant Brides Trilogy
1.  Wicked
2.  Wanton
3.  Wonderful

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Amelia Hubbard has always lived at Miss Peabody’s School for Girls, first as a student, then as a teacher. She enjoyed her position and the independence it brought. But Miss Peabody has died, the school is closing, and Amelia has no money and nowhere to go. When Fate intervenes and hands her a dowry and a handsome husband already purchased with the money, Amelia is nervous but resigned. She reluctantly agrees to wed a man she’s never met. 

Lucas Drake has never been anything but a wastrel and scapegrace. As the second son of an earl, and with an older brother who’s perfect in every way, stellar behavior seems impossible. He’s always been happy to live down to his stern father’s low expectations. But when Amelia arrives and Lucas discovers that his father has engaged him to her, his bachelor tendencies surge to the fore. He’s vehemently certain that no wedding will ever occur. 

When Amelia agreed to the match, she never imagined that Lucas might not want to get married. Her prior situation has ended, and without marriage, the future is bleak. What’s a spinster to do? 

Wanton seduction seems the only path, but first, she’ll need a few lessons in how to use her feminine wiles. Once she figures out what Lucas really needs, the poor man doesn't stand a chance. 

RELUCTANT BRIDES… When love is the key and dowry the bait, who can predict what a woman might do?

My Thoughts:

This book was a small step up from Wicked. I was worried about Lucas' story since he was so lazy and rude in the first book, and I'd say my concerns were well founded. In this novel, Lucas' father has arranged for Amelia to marry Lucas, but Lucas refuses to acknowledge her. I've seen this theme in a couple books, and usually the driving force behind the son's refusal to marry is well founded. With Lucas I got the feeling that one of the main reasons he didn't want to marry was because he didn't want to be tied down to one woman. Even when they are supposedly in love, Lucas thinks of marriage as an ending to his freedom.

I was not a huge fan of Amelia either. I just couldn't imagine a girl becoming quite so...wanton while moving about in polite 1800's society. There was just never any real connection between Lucas and Amelia aside from lust, and this lust was only aided by Amelia pretending to be a different kind of person. The only redeeming part of this book was that the secondary characters weren't too awful. Aaron seems like one of the only decent people in this trilogy, so maybe (just maybe), the third book will be better.

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Cheryl Holt  

Untouched by Anna Campbell

Untouched by Anna Campbell 

Genre: Historical Romance

Bottom Line: A romance with a bit of a gothic feel to it. A good storyline, but the relationship between the hero and heroine seemed to rely too much on sexual attraction. 

Synopsis (Goodreads):

"I am many things," Lord Sheene said. "Kind is not one of them."

Beautiful Grace Paget has no reason not to believe these words. After all, she was kidnapped, spirited away to a remote country manor, and told she is to grant this man his every desire . . . or lose her life. But Grace is no common trollop. So she risks everything to save her virtue by planning a daring escape, even though she finds herself tempted by this handsome man. There is something in his eyes that makes her wonder if he is as dangerous as he would have her believe.

Sheene knew nothing of the plan to bring him this woman. Locked up as a prisoner, called "mad" by all of the world, he will do anything to reclaim his life, and Grace's sensuous beauty has distracted him from his goals. And although he finds her irresistible, he is horrified to hold her against her will. Now, together, they must both revolt against the strange set of circumstances that have forced them together—for only then will Grace truly surrender to him . . . forever.

My Thoughts:

This book put me in an odd position when I was trying to figure out how I felt about it. I think if this had been one of the first historical romances I had read, I would have really liked it. However, after reading a lot of similar novels, the plot fell a little flat for me. Campbell certainly has a way of creating very dark, cruel antagonists. Sheene's uncle, Lord John, and his servants are truly evil in this story. Lord John has locked Sheene up for the majority of his life. When Grace is imprisoned with Sheene, they find they are connected by a need to be free of Lord John's threatening presence. 

This is a very dark romance with plenty of death threats and nasty, violent thugs. The romance that blooms between Grace and Sheene is the only light part of the story. While the passion between them was quite enjoyable to read, I felt like their attraction was shown almost entirely through sex. When they weren't having sex, they were thinking about having sex. Honestly, I realize there's not much to do when you're imprisoned on an estate together, but the middle third of the story was basically exploring their physical attraction to each other.  I did enjoy the overall plot, as dark and fanciful as it was, and it was a nice, quick read. However, I would have enjoyed if there was a bit more substance to Grace and Sheene's relationship.

  

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Anna Campbell

The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan (The Brothers Sinister #4)

The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan

Genre: Historical Romance

Bottom Line:  This story had a bit too much politics for my tastes and not enough romantic development.

The Brothers Sinister Series
0.5 The Governess Affair
1.   The Duchess War
1.5 A Kiss For Midwinter
2.   The Heiress Effect
3.   The Countess Conspiracy
4.   The Suffragette Scandal
4.5 Talk Sweetly to Me 

Synopsis (Goodreads):

An idealistic suffragette...

Miss Frederica "Free" Marshall has put her heart and soul into her newspaper, known for its outspoken support of women's rights. Naturally, her enemies are intent on destroying her business and silencing her for good. Free refuses to be at the end of her rope...but she needs more rope, and she needs it now.

...a jaded scoundrel...

Edward Clark's aristocratic family abandoned him to die in a war-torn land, so he survived the only way he could: by becoming a rogue and a first-class forger. When the same family that left him for dead vows to ruin Miss Marshall, he offers his help. So what if he has to lie to her? She's only a pawn to use in his revenge.

...and a scandal seven years in the making.

But the irrepressible Miss Marshall soon enchants Edward. By the time he realizes that his cynical heart is hers, it's too late. The only way to thwart her enemies is to reveal his scandalous past...and once the woman he loves realizes how much he's lied to her, he'll lose her forever.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely love Courtney Milan's books, so I was a little surprised when I couldn't really get in to this story. This story followed the story of Frederica Marshall, Oliver's younger sister from The Heiress Effect. Free was another one of Milan's strong, opinionated heroines, which is always enjoyable. However, I just couldn't get in to the relationship between Free and Edward. I think the characters leaned away from the humor that I enjoyed in the rest of the series and more towards the serious issues of the late 1800s. I'll admit, I like to stay as far away from politics as possible, even in my reading. I just couldn't get into all the activism in this story.

The romance was enjoyable in this novel; Edward was very good at saying very very sweet things to Free. However, the attraction between them seemed to be purely based on the fact that they both liked to stir things up in society. I didn't feel that it developed too much beyond that. It was basically, "hey, she's a little crazy. I think I love her." I have always been a fan of Milan's writing style, strong female leads, and sweet heroes. I think the reason this book didn't captivate me as much as her other's had is because her story is beginning to venture into a historical era that I do not enjoy as much as regency and medieval historical romances. That being said, if you are a fan of adding actual history (*gasp*) to your historical romance, this may be a great book for you!

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Courtney Milan     

The Kiss of a Viscount by Linda Rae Sande (Daughters of the Aristocracy #1)

The Kiss of a Viscount by Linda Rae Sande

Genre: Historical Romance

Bottom Line: Good for the naughty scenes and romance, but the plot was difficult to believe and the dialogue was tough to follow at times.

The Daughters of the Aristocracy
1.  The Kiss of a Viscount
2.  The Grace of a Duke
3.  The Seduction of an Earl

Synopsis (Amazon):

A kiss is just a kiss ... or is it? 

Having just inherited his uncle’s viscountcy, George Bennett-Jones is informed by his mistress that he must find a bride, preferably the daughter of an aristocrat. Through a series of lessons, she instructs George on the finer points of meeting and courting a woman of the ton – and she has one in mind for him. 

It’s love at first sight when George spies Lady Elizabeth Carlington dancing with the Earl of Trenton. But the auburn-haired beauty is quite sure the earl will offer for her hand, and she has every intention of accepting – even if his kiss has her feeling as if she were being kissed by her best friend’s dog! 

When Elizabeth mentions the unfortunate kiss during the ball’s supper, George implies there is an art to kissing, innocently offering to replace her poor first impression with a proper kiss. Intrigued, and unaware that George is a viscount and a secret patron of her charity, Elizabeth accepts his offer at the next ball. George is more than happy to accommodate her. His kiss has the daughter of a marquess so stunned, so amazed and so aroused, she requests that he demonstrate the pleasures that can be had in a marriage bed. Knowing he has only one night to court the woman who has captured his heart, George sets out to prove himself while promising he will leave her virtue intact. 

Will the evening of pleasure he has planned for Elizabeth convince her to accept his hand in marriage? Or simply leave her with a vivid memory of what she will be missing should she accept the earl’s marriage proposal? The lessons of a mistress prove invaluable in "The Kiss of a Viscount".

My Thoughts:

If you are just looking for a book with some naughty aristocrats, then this is perfect. If, however, you would like a comprehensible plot, this book may be lacking. There were several parts of this plot that bothered me. First, the whole "love at first sight" thing is always difficult to believe. Lust at first sight, sure. But George is convinced that he is in love with Elizabeth the moment he sees her. I just didn't get it.

I am no stickler for historical accuracy in my romances, but I found it very difficult to accept the fact the Elizabeth propositioned a total stranger to pleasure her before marriage. And she claims that she only did it because she didn't know he was a Viscount... please tell me how that makes it better! Now the romance was the redeeming quality. The sex scenes were nice and long and detailed. If that's what you are looking for in this book, you will be pleased. George was a very sweet hero, and I loved how nervous he got around Elizabeth beneath his outward calm. Elizabeth seemed a bit shallow at times (and got a bit too personal with her father but we'll just shove that in a corner and never speak of it again), but she was generally a good person.

Sande's writing style made it a little difficult for me to follow the dialogue at times. We get to hear every character's thoughts and at times I didn't notice when the point of view swapped. Though it was confusing, the romantic aspects of the plot definitely kept up the pace and made this a fairly enjoyable read.    

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Linda Rae Sande       

Through Time-Slamming by Claudy Conn (Through Time #3)

Through Time-Slamming by Claudy Conn

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Bottom Line: An interesting plot line, but the conflict and romance throughout the story were brief and seemed to be thrown in for the hell of it.

Through Time Series

1.  Through Time-Pursuit
2.  Through Time-Whiplash
3.  Through Time-Slamming
4.  Through Time-Frankie
5.  Through Time-Compulsion

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Jazz and Trevor’s love story continues in Slamming, through adversity and growing confusion.

Pestale and his brother Hordly are on the offensive and have a few surprises for the Seelie Fae.

The Queen of the Seelie Fae, Aaibhe is under attack by her council, and discord threatens the solidarity they need to take down the Unseelie abominations.

Frankie meets her Fae father in Slamming and Prince Breslyn is hit with epic changes that will alter life for him as he knows it.

Humans are at the mercy of hordes of hungry Dark Fae…and chaos rules!

My Thoughts:

I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't there for me. This is a continuation of Trevor and Jazmine's story from Through Time-Whiplash. This book picks up off a cliffhanger, so definitely read these in order.  I enjoyed the underlying plot for this story. Trevor and Jazmine (and all the other Seelie royals) are still fighting Pestale as he tries to dominate the human realm.  There is a lot of action, and I definitely enjoy the variety of powers the Seelie and Unseelie exhibit. There was a lot of potential in the plot, and it was interesting enough to drive me to finish this book..

My problem with this story was that all of the little conflicts throughout the story were very brief. There would be a good plot twist, then one page later it was already resolved. Everything was resolved too easily, and the book became a little predictable.  The romance seemed to be just randomly thrown in; we would be in the middle of a fight then we'd just zoom in on any of the couples, the guy would say a few romantic words, Jazmine would comment on how cute they were, then we'd move on. I didn't even feel like Trevor and Jazmine developed at all, neither individually nor as a couple. After enjoying Through Time-Whiplash, this book was just a bit too lackluster. I am, however, greatly looking forward to Frankie's story, so I will continue on with this series.

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Claudy Conn        

Through Time-Pursuit by Claudy Conn (Through Time #1)

Through Time-Pursuit by Claudy Conn

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Bottom Line: An interesting plot with some sexy Fae, but the romance was a little forced. I think as a novella, this was a nice story, but it was lacking in complexity if you approach it as a full-length novel.   

Through Time Series
1.  Through Time-Pursuit
2.  Through Time-Whiplash
3.  Through Time-Slamming
4.  Through Time-Frankie 

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Milesian immortal Chancemont LeBlanc is determined to avenge his sister’s death at the hands of Dark Prince Pestale, who remains free after the war between the Seelie Fae and the Dark Fae. Nothing will stop Chance from fulfilling his mission of vengeance, not even the time barrier.

The queen of the Seelie Fae has other ideas, however, and she sends Princess Royce to make sure Pestale is captured, not killed. Royce would rather spend time with the human family she has grown to love, but she has broken the rules one time too many, and Queen Aaibhe wants her to grow up and act like the Seelie royal she is!

Royce doesn’t want to be part of Chance’s team. He most definitely doesn’t want her on his team, and from the start—fireworks.

Chance has Pestale on the run, but after seeing the beautiful princess with the flaming red hair, Pestale has decided Royce must be his.
 
A hunter becomes the hunted … 

Purposes collide …

My Thoughts:

I may have come into this book a little unprepared. I thought this would be a full length story, but I believe this is a series of novellas that follows Conn's Legend series (beginning with Spellbound, if you want to start there), which I have yet to read. With that in mind, I thought this was a pretty intriguing, quick story. This book was about a member of the immortal Milesian race, Chancemont, and the Seelie princess Royce. I have heard that the Legend series covers Chancemont's background story in more depth. In Through Time-Pursuit, Royce is assigned to help Chance and the Seelie prince Trevor capture the escaped Dark Fae prince Pestale. Chance wants to kill Pestale, Royce wants to capture Pestale, and Pestale just wants to have lots of dirty sex with Royce and rule the world with her by his side.

This was a pretty steamy book. Pestale was pretty dark in his desires (what do you expect from a Dark Fae), but Chance and Royce were quite passionate and romantic. My main issue was with how Chance and Royce seemed to fall in love instantly. Seriously, there was nothing leading up to it. It was like they met and decided "hey, I'm a manly man, you're a pretty girl, we fall in love and have lots of sex now, yes?" And that was that. There really didn't seem to be any development of their feelings. At one point, Chance said something along the lines of "Oh, that's so Royce!" Really? You've known her for about 3 days and you've spent half of that time thinking about her naked or working yourself into a jealous rage whenever someone touches her... Please tell me when you had time to actually learn anything about her. Now, I'm not saying the raw attraction wasn't enjoyable (oh it was), but I would have liked their love to be a bit more believable.

The actual plot of the story (yes there is a plot behind all that lovin') was pretty intriguing. I always enjoy stories about the Fae and their hallows. I thought this world was well developed and Royce's special abilities added to the story. I expected time travel to play a larger role in the story (since it's in the title), but it was kind of a minor element; honestly, there was enough going on with the plot that I don't think it needed more time travel. The plot was quick but thorough, though the ending did kind of cut off in preparation for the next book, so you may be left feeling a little unfulfilled there. I had a bit of an issue with the dialogue... I thought it was a little cheesy at times, and some of the background information was forced, like Conn wasn't sure how to weave it in to the story. Overall, this book had an interesting plot, but the romance seemed a little rushed. As a novella, this was well put together, but it might be improved by reading Conn's earlier series first.      

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Claudy Conn        

Loki's Daughters by Delle Jacobs

Loki's Daughters by Delle Jacobs

Genre: Historical Romance

Bottom Line: A medieval romance with sweet characters but a slightly tedious plot.

Synopsis (Goodreads):

For as long as Arienh can remember, her Celtic people have feared the deadly Viking raids. She knows their brutality first hand, having lost the men from her own family and village to their swords. When she encounters and wounds a Viking warrior one stormy night, she has every right to want him dead. Instead, she allows him shelter in her cottage. Although she fears him, his confidence and teasing manner give her pause. He acts as if she belongs to him. As if he knows her. 

Ronan didn’t expect Arienh to recognize him. Why should she? They were both just children when his uncle forced him into a raid against her village. But Ronan risked his life to protect the young Arienh from his marauding kinsmen. Now that the time has come for Ronan and the other warriors to choose wives, he has returned to claim the beautiful girl who captured his heart so long ago.

But for men accustomed simply to taking what they want, wooing the courageous, headstrong Celtic women is easier said than done. And for Arienh, who always sacrificed her own happiness for the sake of her people, trusting—and loving—a Northman may be impossible. By turns poignant and humorous, Loki’s Daughters is a stirring tale of unlikely lovers, forged in dangerously opposite worlds yet bound together by sacrifice, strength, and undeniable passion.

My Thoughts:

First off, this cover gave me nightmares.  I didn't notice Ronan standing in the background until I glanced at the cover at around 3 am.  It's like he's hiding in the shadows...always watching...*shiver*

Loki's Daughters is a historical romance set in the 9th century.  This is the first Viking romance I have read.  The basis of the story is that these Northmen (as they proclaim they are the happy, farming type of Vikings, not the angry marauding type) come to a Celtic town to claim wives and rebuild the village, led by a particularly handsome man--of course--named Ronan.  Ronan the friendly Viking has been in love with Arienh since he saved her years ago from an attack by his uncle's clan.  Arienh has been the head of her village since Viking raiders killed all of their men and raped and blinded her sister.  As such, she is reluctant to accept these men into their village despite her immediate attraction to Ronan.

This story was primarily a romance with a bit of action on the side.  The romance was cute most of the time--and a bit steamy when neccessary.  Ronan really was a good guy.  He tries very hard to woo Arienh, and most of his men also fall instantly in love with the other Celtic women...convenient.  Unfortunately, the 9th century Viking's way of wooing seems to resemble that of a caveman.  I've picked you to be my wife, here is a duck and shelter, you're mine now, yes?  It would probably piss me off if this book was set in a later time period, but this is the 9th century...what do you expect?  My issues with this book arose with Arienh.  She is absolutely determined to keep away from Ronan just because she thinks she is protecting her sister and the other villagers.  I could understand this for a bit in the beginning, but I swear this conflict went on through the ENTIRE book.  Every time she saw him it was "Oh golly, I could never love a Viking...they're all evil."  Ugh.  Move on.  He's a good guy.

Despite that little rant, I did enjoy the book as a whole.  It was a quick read, and Ronan was quite an adorable suitor, if a little bone-headed at times.  Maybe because he was a little bone-headed.  The secondary characters all had their own little stories and little side plots, but the didn't detract from the main plot.  I would suggest this book if you are looking for something cute and quick with a bit of a primitive romantic setting.

Find it on: Amazon | Goodreads | Delle Jacobs