You should send that into Reader’s Digest. They have a page for people like you.
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Once Upon a Reviewer: Lawson

Once upon a time a young rabid reader named Lawson was searching for something good to read. Being young at the time, dear Lawson did not have many choices for books. One day her mother handed her Julie Garwood‘s The Bride to read, being a conscientious mother and not really wanting to have “the talk” with her young daughter.

After this first educational read, a romance reader was born! Since then I have read many books, both good and bad, but loved every minute of it.

Over the years I have fallen in love with historical, paranormal, fantasy/sci-fi, and contemporary romance. Authors such as Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, Eloisa James, Candice Hern, and Karen Marie Moning have taken me to reader heaven.

The thing that makes me think of a book as my favorite is the answer to this question: Did I enjoy this enough to reread it? If the answer is yes, then the number of rereads puts it higher on my list of favorites. In no particular order they are: Ashes in the Wind, Brighter Than the Sun, Three Fates, A Rose in Winter, Worth Any Price, The Gift, London’s Perfect Scoundrel: Lessons in Love, Betrothal, and Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

Of course no fairy tale would be a fairy tale without a dastardly plot by an evil stepmother, however there’s really not any of that here. I do have a stepmonster, but she really doesn’t affect my reading habits (besides my disdain of her constant reading of US Weekly). After so many years as a reader of many things there are things that do tend to hurt my reading experience.

Historical heroines who act completely out of time period, pretentious dialogue, and through and through bodice ripper sort of material where the woman is a simpering fool and the man is so out there Alpha-male that he never admits his love in the book. But luckily I have run across very few of these, of which I count myself lucky.

It is my hope for a happily ever after reading new and steamy books for many, many years to come.

Lawson’s review of The Renegade Hunter (Argeneau Vampires, Book 12) by Lynsay Sands
Paranormal Romance published by Avon 29 Sep 09

Here is another installment in the Immortals series by Lynsay Sands. Sure, they’re called vampires since they drink blood and have fangs, but blood-sucking fiends they’re not. At least that’s what they’ll say. There are times when these vampires go rogue, eat “off the hoof” and break the few rules laid down by the Council. This book starts where the Immortal Hunter ends, though it’s back with the Willians, from The Rogue Hunter.

Jo and Alex Willian don’t understand why their sister Sam and her fiancee Mortimer keep bringing strange men around. They’re at a party at Mortimer’s work and though the men are all hot, they don’t mingle with anyone. Jo decides to go out for some air and instead is attacked by a guy who manages to escape while some other guy kisses her. Though Jo is confused, she does go home after the incident.

Nicholas Argeneau has been a rogue for the last fifty years. He still tracks down other rogues to be turned over to the council, but he’s kept a low profile to keep himself from punishment. That changes when a group he’s been tracking takes too many hostages and he gets involved again with the Hunters (in the Immortal Hunter). Tracking one to the HQ, Nicholas saves Jo, then kisses her. He knows he can’t read her since he couldn’t make her go back into the building.

Nicholas then goes to check on Jo, but she’s been tracked by the rogue and Nicholas saves Jo again, and they go on the run. Nicholas must escape the Hunters after him while trying to lead them to the rogue after Jo. While this sounds a bit complicated, it does work pretty well and the action does take place over a few days, rather than 24 hours like the Immortal Hunter.

Both Nicholas and Jo are good together, but at this point there’s little use for story because once that “I can’t read him/her, they’re my lifemate” moment sort of overtakes the rest of the action. The reader knows what’s going to happen and it’s all just action to liven up the parts in between when the new lifemates get busy between the sheets (or wherever they are). The writing in this book did make things a bit easier to bear, as opposed to Rogue Hunter and Immortal Hunter, which seemed to be more like placeholders in the story to get to the next book, which is Armand and Eshe’s story.

Perhaps the mythology is getting too big, or it’s just too many books, but I’ll keep reading, I know. I just hope that the stories have a bit more plot and character development before the “we’re lifemates” moment and then they jump in the sack. Let’s have a little time to get to know people before the horizontal mambo.

Grade: C+

Summary:

The Argeneau family has a secret…one of their own is a rogue vampire!

Nicholas Argeneau was once a successful hunter who went after rogue vampires who break the immortal law. Except no one has mentioned his name in the last fifty years, not since he turned into a rogue himself. But once a hunter, always a hunter. When Nicholas sees a bloodthirsty sucker terrifying a woman, it’s second nature for him to come to her rescue. He had no idea he would also want to kiss her senseless…

One minute Josephine Willan is taking in a breath of fresh air, and the next sharp fangs are heading straight for her neck! Luckily a gorgeous stranger saves her life . . . and gets locked up for his troubles. Can a man who kisses so lovingly and passionately really have committed the crime he’s accused of? Jo isn’t so sure…and she’s determined to prove that this renegade hunter is worth fighting for.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Lawson’s review of How I Met My Countess (Bachelor Chronicles, Book 6) by Elizabeth Boyle
Historical Romance released by Avon 29 Dec 09

The Bachelor Chronicles continue . . . well, sort of . . . in this book. In Love Letters From a Duke, it’s discovered there are three widowed Lady Standons that married the previous heirs before the events in Duke happen. They are all apparently young and now living off the good graces of the Hollindrake family. The first of the Lady Standons to fall is Lucy, formerly Lucy Ellyson, who has a very interesting past.

A good part of the start of this book is a flashback. Lucy is the daughter of George Ellyson, master spy and the last point many see in England before being sent in the field. Most of the men that come through the Ellyson household are infatuated with Lucy and her sister, including the newest recruits to the War Office, Justin Grey, Earl of Clifton and his brother Malcolm.

After time spent learning the tricks of the trade from all the Ellysons, Justin (called Gilby from by Malcolm from his earlier courtesy title) and Malcolm realize how much danger they could really be in. And both brothers begin to fall for the Ellyson sisters. With many promises made by Gilby to Lucy (Goosie, which was a bit too cute), the brothers are called to Lisbon to work for the good of England.

Seven years later Lucy is a widow and one of the three Lady Standons. Justin is back in England and told by Malcolms solicitor that his wealth is left to Lady Standon. Justin goes looking for Lady Standon (though he doesn’t know the one he wants is Lucy) and the two former lovers must put some of the past behind them, before finding out why they didn’t reconcile before that point.

As honorable as Justin was, he’s a bit of a stick in the mud. After spending time seeing the worst of humanity working for the War Office, he doesn’t really have a lot of understanding of human emotion. He expects a perfect woman to be his countess, but falls for Lucy instead. When he meets her again he lets the years and silence on her end cloud his judgment when Lucy would need him the most.

Lucy is a bit of a contradiction. She’s practical but apparently prone to clumsiness and scandal because of some of her antics. Most of that is in the second half of the novel, when she goes from her country life to a different life in London among society. It’s understandable why she doesn’t get along with the other Lady Standons, as she has many secrets as well as a desire to leave London and go back to the country where she feels life makes more sense.

The conflicts in the story seemed plausible, but overblown. I suppose that’s the point when many of the characters have had something to do with the War Office and espionage has been a way of life. As nice as it was to see Clifton get his story, and as much as I enjoy Boyle’s writing, the more books in the series make it seem like it’s just an excuse to keep seeing what Temple, Jack and Felicity are up to more than anything. I’ll keep reading Boyle’s books, and I’m interested to see what the next book brings, with Elinor’s story with Jack’s brother, the Duke of Parkerton. It’d be nice to see what happens next in Boyle’s Marlowe series though, and let the spies live in peace.

Grade: C

Summary:

The Earl of Clifton intended one day to find the perfect countess…

…until he met Lucy. The improper and impetuous daughter of an infamous spy, Lucy Ellyson saved Clifton’s life and taught him everything he needed to know about serving his country in the dangerous shoals of the war torn Continent… even how to fall in love. He vowed he would come back to her, he would make her his unconventional and unlikely countess, but the war and duty kept them apart for too long and when he finally returned, she was gone.

Lucy’s father had told her that the Earl of Clifton would never return for her, warned her that she would never find a place in a society that would scorn her birth. And he was right. For when Clifton returns, it isn’t to reconquer her heart, but merely to ask for her help in finding an elusive dowager, never realizing that the Marchioness of Standon—the woman who holds the keys to his family fortune—is none other than Lucy herself. It doesn’t take Clifton long to realize that his greatest mission yet may be to face the tragic secrets of their past and rediscover the passionate love that once ignited them both…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

”

Lawson’s review of Wicked Sinful Nights by Julia Latham
Historical romance released by Avon 12 Jan 10

The myth of the League of the Blade continues with the brother of Adam from Taken and Seduced in this story. The second in the Raised by the Blade trilogy has Robert Hilliard traipsing about Medieval England to prove himself to the League. The third will no doubt follow the youngest Hilliard brother.

Robert Hilliard is sent to investigate the murder of Viscount Drayton. Suspected, but not accused, of the murder is Sarah Audley, the nursemaid to Drayton’s young son, now the Viscount. Many also believe Sarah is the late Viscount’s mistress as well, since he took her in after unproven rumors she may have killed her husband. Robert in disguise, with his fellow Bladesman, stay at the Drayton keep to conduct their investigation.

Robert begins to believe that Sarah is innocent of everything she’s been accused of and sets out to find the proof. While doing this he begins to admire Sarah’s resiliency and independence. He then begins to think of the life he missed due to his unusual upbringing by the League sequestered from society. Robert also struggles to be a gentleman with the widowed Sarah, though he begins to fall for her quickly.

Sarah knows she always has to work for what she has. She can read and write, though that didn’t save her father’s estate, nor herself when her husband died. When Drayton hired her, she felt she could finally have a home and cared for Drayton’s young son, Francis. When Drayton dies, Sarah fears she may be forced from the place she now calls her home. Robert’s arrival complicates things, especially when she finds out the gossip about her being Drayton’s mistress and possibly killing him. Both Sarah and Robert work to clear her name from suspicion, find the real killer and find their own happiness.

Sarah was a good heroine, if a little complacent. She is a woman of her time, figuring out how to work for her living based on her skills, instead of living by what a man could provide for her. She does begin to whine a bit near the end about where she’s going to go next, convinced she’ll be tossed out on her ear and Francis will be raised by someone else.

Robert’s predicament is that he is a young man who enjoyed his freedom and didn’t live up to the impossible standards set for him by the League. Since he has to prove he’s capable of being a member of the League and not just another noble out for pleasure, his easy-going nature is subdued in the book. The experiment to raise the Hilliards obviously failed, but the League seems to not want to admit the mistake or understand the behavior of the boys coming out of that situation.

Other than that, the murder is solved satisfactorily in the end, with the suspicions correct in some ways. What didn’t work was the constant attempts to implicate Sarah, which distracted from Sarah and Robert’s story. The story would have worked better as well if the League’s reasons for sending Robert weren’t so flimsy and the subterfuge necessary on Robert’s part to investigate Sarah. But then there wouldn’t be a book at all.

Grade: B-

Reckless Sir Robert Hilliard has one last chance to remain a member of the League of the Blade, the daring fraternity of elite knights that secretly raised him. A Bladesman has been poisoned, and Robert must uncover enough evidence to hang the murderess. It seems quite simple, really…until he meets the red-haired beauty and falls hopelessly under her spell.

He may be handsome, but Sarah Audley quickly discovers that Robert’s no knight in shining armor. He’s out to convict her for murder! Though Sarah vows her innocence, forces beyond her control are gathering against her. Even worse, she cannot deny her own flaming desire for this man who’s so dangerous…and so irresistible.

To satisfy their burgeoning passion, Robert may have to sacrifice his only dream. But he’ll gain something even more precious–Sarah’s undying love.

Read an excerpt

Other books in this series:

Lawson’s review of The Search by Nora Roberts
Romantic suspense released by Putnam 06 Jul 10

Romantic suspense is one thing that I’m not terribly fond of. I do love Nora Roberts’ suspense though, because the story always takes center stage, no matter what elements are added to the plot. The Search is right up my alley with lots of great story and a little suspense added in. The extra bit in this one is the heroine is a dog trainer and also runs a Search and Rescue team.

The story starts with Fiona Bristow and her dog Peck called in to find a lost 3 year old boy who’s wandered off from his parents rented cabin. Fiona and Peck find the boy, with the help of her S-and-R team, and she reflects on the good life she has. Fiona is the survivor of a serial killer now behind bars. She was the key witness at the trial and they only caught the guy after he went after and killed her fiancee and his K-9 partner.

Fiona runs into Simon Doyle when he brings his new puppy Jaws to her puppy obedience class. After Simon sees her gift with animals, he finagles some private lessons to bring Jaws up to speed in obeying. Simon also starts making some things for Fiona. He’s a wood artist and makes just about anything out of lumber.

The problem starts when some starts killing girls in the same way as the serial killer Fiona escaped from. He starts teasing her and Simon begins to fear for Fiona’s safety since she’s the one that got away before and she’s sure to be a target this time. Living on a small island near Seattle, Fiona is well watched and cared for by all, but the copycat and the mentor, of course, have things planned to bring it all close to home.

The balance between Fiona and Simon was really fun to read. Both have some issues. Fiona has survivor’s guilt among other things, but she’s definitely moved on with her life and established something worthwhile. Simon dated a famous pop start for a bit and wants a quiet life he can live his own way. Though the puppy Jaws brings them together, they are intrigued by the other’s quirks, which starts the relationship ball rolling.

While Fiona has difficulties with maintaining her independence in the face of the new killer, the secondary characters all step up in different ways and help her cope and stay protected from the new menace. Her life, in a way, mirrors the two that have threatened her life. She struggles for control, but instead of hurting others, she makes sure to make everyone happy. There were several times she was asked to accept help and safety when she seemed to take care of herself pretty well. While that took away from the story, it’s understandable considering how illogical crazed killers can be.

While a bit cliched with the serial killer aspect (they both have three names of course), and a nosy reporter that is looking for her fame through rather illegal tactics, it was a great summer read. The dogs and S-and-R aspect added a fun dimension to the story as well.

Grade: B+

Summary:

To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare…

Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.

On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He’s the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon’s house, and he’s at his wit’s end.

To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can’t handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he’s a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn’t want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones.

As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands…

Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Sold to a Laird by Karen Ranney
Historical Romance released by Avon 24 Nov 09

I haven’t read any of Karen Ranney’s books, but I had this one in my TBR box and thought I’d give it a try. It was definitely different than I’d expected and this is something that happens from time to time. One thing the reader should know going into this story is the title is horrible. It does nothing to describe any part of the story and that does take away a little bit of what the story could have been about.

Douglas Eston is a self made man, but he’s also cautious. So he decides to seek some supporting funding from the Duke of Herridge. What he doesn’t expect is the Duke’s daughter to come in demanding compassion for her mother, the Duke’s wife. The Duke then gives his daughter to Douglas as a wife for agreement to fund Douglas’ business venture. Douglas didn’t expect to get a wife, but he knew he needed to protect the one he suddenly has.

Lady Sarah doesn’t like the fact that she’s been sold as a bride, but she feels safer now out of her father’s sphere of control. When her mother does die, she is at a loss for everything. She has spent her life caring for her mother, following her mother’s example and shielding her mother from her father’s wrath. Sarah now needs to find out who she is.

Sarah then requests to go to Scotland to tell her grandfather of her mother’s death. The journey and stay does help Sarah find out who she is, but it is different than she expected. She also gets to know her husband and finds that he is better than any other she could have asked for. Some of her ideas do make her a snob, but they are more defense mechanisms against her father than anything else.

Douglas never hid his nature from anyone and the conflict over his life and character seems to be a minor part of the story. In fact, Sarah’s issues tend to overwhelm anything else in the book, including her hero. Douglas is an alpha male, but not in an aggressive sort of way. But he doesn’t need to change, as Sarah does, and that relegates him to a lesser part of the story.

The other thing I found out from Karen Ranney’s website is the fact this is the first in a trilogy. They’re all supposed to be tied together because of the Tulloch mirror. This surprised me, as the mirror didn’t seem to have that much to do with the story and was introduced in the second half of the book. I don’t know if I’m interested enough to find out.

Grade: C-

Summary:

Lady Sarah Baines was devoted to her mother and her family home, Chavensworth. Douglas Eston was devoted to making a fortune and inventing. The two of them are married when Lady Sarah′s father proposes the match and threatens to send Lady Sarah′s ill mother to Scotland if she protests.

Douglas finds himself the victim of love at first sight, while Sarah thinks her husband is much too, well, earthy for her tastes. Marriage is simply something she had to do to ensure her mother′s well-being, and even when her mother dies in the next week, it′s not a sacrifice she regrets.

She cannot, however, simply write her mother′s relatives and inform them of her death. She convinces Douglas – an ex pat Scot – to return to Scotland with her, to a place called Kilmarin. At Kilmarin, she is given the Tulloch Sgàthán, the Tulloch mirror. Legend stated that a woman who looked into the mirror saw her true fate.

Douglas and Sarah begin to appreciate the other, and through passion, Douglas is able to express his true feelings for his wife. But once they return to England and Douglas disappears and is presumed dead, Sarah has to face her own feelings for the man she′s come to respect and admire.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Lawson’s review of Bitten by Cupid by Lynsay Sands, Pamela Palmer and Jaime Rush
Paranormal Anthology released by Avon 12 Jan 10

Obviously I’m a sucker for Lynsay Sands. When Syb handed me this book, I snapped it up. I get a lot of the historical romance as well, so this was something to lighten the historical TBR pile. Plus, Sands’ contribution is the story of Tiny, who I’m sure many have been asking for. I got to experience some new (to me) authors as well.

Vampire’s Valentine by Lynsay Sands

Tiny McGraw was a secondary character in A Bite to Remember. He’s a private investigator and Jackie’s partner. Tiny and Mirabeau LaRouche, an Argeneau cousin, are assigned to protect Dani McGill’s sister from the Immortal Hunter from those that are still looking for her. Mirabeau realizes quickly that she can’t read Tiny, her appetite is coming back and they’re lifemates. What made this story work outside of the obvious lifemate setup was Tiny’s enthusiasm for it as well as his enjoyment of getting Mirabeau to eat his cooking. It was cute, but not a lot of depth.

Grade: B-

Hearts Untamed by Pamela Palmer

Zeeland and Julianne are members of a race called the Therians. The Therians were shapeshifters once upon a time, but now they only shift in their dreams. They apparently have an enemy that could control some interesting magic. Zeeland left Julianne when he began to see her as a woman and felt Julianne was far too young. Julianne has waited for Zeeland for the last ten years, though the Therians are ok with free love and free bed partners.

This story was rather weak. The Therians didn’t make much sense, with their shapeshifting past and how they lost it. The backstory needed wasn’t really there. The characters all seemed a bit flat as well, there wasn’t much development. Not my cup of tea.

Grade: D

Kiss and Kill Cupid by Jamie Rush

This one was cute at first. Then came the serial killer’s thoughts and I was totally turned off. Especially when Kat, the heroine, hears these thoughts but can’t hear the thoughts of Adrian, the hero. Oh, and they’re part of a secret government project. I couldn’t get through this story at all. I’m not a bit suspense fan and the serial killer’s thoughts in the first couple of pages made me not want to read it.

Grade: DNF

I don’t know what overall grade to give this one, since the last story was a DNF.

Overall grade: C (or DNF)

Lawson’s review of Sex on the Beach by Susan Lyons
Contemporary Erotic Romance Released by Berkley Heat 5 Jan 10

It’s cold outside. There’s snow on the ground. And my TBR pile is all historicals. I think most of them are set during the winter, or at least the colder months. So I jumped at the chance to read this book, set in Belize, on the beach, and having to do with warmer weather (even if it is set during February, Belize is tropical). Sandy beaches, skimpy clothes and even the cocktail (and the act itself) where the title comes from make for a nice, warm read during the winter months.

Though there are three separate stories in this book, I’m going to keep this a review as a whole, rather than make a distinction between the three stories. They all have the same setting, take place during the same time, and relate because it’s people all at the same wedding wanting a fling in the tropics during winter and end up with a little more.

The three stories revolve around the wedding of Danny and Bella at the Toucan Resort in Ambergris Caye. The first story follows the wedding planner, Sarah McCann and Freeman Lafontaine. Free is trying to save his best friend from making the mistake of marriage and keep living the footloose and fancy free live. Sarah doesn’t like this plan, she sees Danny and Bella as having true, life long love. Sarah and Free are attracted to each other, from the first moment they meet and have a fling in secret. Free keeps trying to stop the wedding and Sarah is working hard to see her clients get their happy week and special day. Though Free does step over the line, majorly, he does redeem himself well.

Perhaps the best part of this first story was the fact that it was about Free’s immature view of how adults behave and Sarah working to show him he was wrong, rather the fact that he’s black and she’s white. The story is sexy and about people, rather than about race. Free would have been better if he wasn’t as immature and single-minded for most of the story, but that was the point of his character and he does get his just desserts in the end.

The second story follows Tamiko Sato and Ricardo Nunez. Tamiko is a fashion model, but because of abuse in her past she’s wary of men. Ric is the resort’s owner and doesn’t like to get involved with guests, but he can’t help being attracted to Tamiko. They both have issues to deal with, one of which being Tamiko is at the wedding as the date of Zane Slade (a famous, but in the closet writer of a James Bond-esque hero) and Ric’s family in Belize. It was a sweet story as Ric helped Tamiko come out of her shell and be a sexy woman. Tamiko also was able to relax and not worry about supporting her family for a week, which she obviously needed.

The story was rather short to deal with the major issues both characters had. It was sexy and both Tamiko and Ric are sweet, sensitive and complex characters, and the length wasn’t enough to make their story seem like it could get the justice it deserved. The last story is different than the first two. Though it takes place over the same time, it’s not as rushed as two strangers are meeting and getting busy before getting to know each other.

The last story is about Bella’s parents, Giovanna and James Moncrieff. They had a sexy and torrid courtship in Italy when they were young, and Giovanna ended up pregnant. With James’ job as a professor, he wasn’t as considerate as he could have been (he really sounded like a selfish jerk) and Giovanna couldn’t see the trouble he was having with his job and supporting his young family and yelled at him alot due to her passionate nature (she did sound like a selfish and immature bitch).

Time has passed and this is the first time they’ve really spent time together in twenty years. The flashbacks to how they fell in love were as fun as seeing these two stubborn, yet very much in love people spar and sizzle across the pages. And the flashbacks are set in sunny and summer time Italy, so the warm weather feeling gets doubled.

All three stories do end with some happiness, though they don’t rush to the alter, which is nice to see. Just people that have a fling and see the possibilities for a future. The shortness of each story did take away from the depth each one probably needed, but the sparks that especially James and Giovanna had made the characters and the setting a fun winter time read.

Grade: B-

Summary:

An exotic wedding turns into an erotic escapade for three unlikely couples who find lust—and maybe even love—on the white sands of Belize. Get ready to get wet!

“War of the Sexes”

When wedding planner Sarah McCann learns that the groom’s best friend, Free Lafontaine, intends to save his pal from the mistake of marriage, it’s an all-out war between the sexes. Turns out, the prize could be much more than either of them expected, and this war just may have two winners.

“Sex With the Proper Stranger”

Model Tamiko Sato comes to the wedding as arm-candy for the groom’s deep-in-the-closet uncle. What’s she to do when resort manager Ric Nuñez proves far too tempting? Ric just might be the man who can help her heal the wounds left by past abuse, and open her heart to love.

“Sexy Exes”

Giovanna Moncrieff and her ex, James, mix as well as Italian olive oil and English tonic water. How embarrassing—and exciting!—to find that their passion for each other still burns hot and heavy. Is it possible to find true love the second time around?

Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of With Seduction in Mind (Girl-Bachelors, Book 4) by Laura Lee Guhrke
Historical romance released by Avon 25 Aug 09

This book has been sitting on my coffee table for probably far too long to remind me that I should write up a review. The problem is that I really was not wanting to write this review. While it’s a story that continues the adventures of another of the Girl-Bachelors of Little Russel Street, the story fell into a different tone than a romance.

The book opens with Daisy Merrick in a situation she’s been in before: unemployment. While she doesn’t want to blame her fomer employer, it is his fault. He tried to compromise her in a storage closet and she gave him the set down he deserved, which means he fired her. Daisy now has to go tell her sister, how owns the employment agency that got her the job, that she’s been fired. Again.

What Daisy really wants to do is write, and she decides to submit her manuscript to Marlowe Publishing, owned by her good friend Emma’s husband (and hero of And Then He Kissed Her). While her manuscript is not rejected, she is asked to make severe edits to make it publishable and she is offered another job in the meantime. Daisy is asked to write a review of the new play written by Sebastian Grant, Earl of Avermore.

Sebastian is angry that someone would write a scathing review of his play in one of his publisher’s newspapers. He storms into Marlowe’s office and demands a retraction, only to be asked about a promised manuscript that is over three years late. Sebastian doesn’t like the plan that Marlowe offers either. Produce a manuscript and mentor new author Daisy. Sebastian sends in an old manuscript, which Daisy edits, then follows him to his country house to help him through the process of rewriting the old story and getting writing advice from the greatest writer of her generation.

Of course sparks ensue. The hardest thing to get around in the story is Daisy’s personality. Ever the optimist and rather cheerfully determined, she can’t accept the many no’s that come her way from Sebastian. She’s failed at enough jobs, this one she’s going to make work. No matter what. Which gets overly grating because she’s twenty eight and sees the world with rose-colored glasses. With her history with her father, money and losing jobs due to her outspokenness one would think she’d have a bit more of a realistic view of life.

Sebastian is not a bad hero, but he does beat up on himself. He lets his father’s disdain for his writing career drive him to write, the succumb to something that is his deep dark secret and finds he can’t write. Writer’s block is more of a problem for him than he wants to admit, but it’s more that he’s disappointed in himself that he has a block than anything else.

Together Sebastian and Daisy could work, but their relationship and how it’s described came across more as a commentary on the different processes writers have rather than giving two characters chemistry. When it comes to the point where they should talk to each other about something other than writing, Daisy keeps the blinders on and doesn’t see real life.

While it could have been a sweet story about two people overcoming their past to make a future together and two writers understanding the world around them, it was something else. I don’t know if the point was to tell a story about how hard it is to be a writer, but that’s what came across more than the love story of two Edwardian writers.

Grade: C-

Summary:

A thoroughly modern woman…

Daisy Merrick has to earn her living, but she keeps getting the sack. When her rash tongue costs her yet another job, the feisty, outspoken girl-bachelor is undaunted, and she comes up with a plan that could give her a future beyond her wildest dreams. There’s only one problem. Her success depends on a man, the most infuriating, impossible, immovable man she’s ever met.

A most notorious man…

Sebastian Grant, Earl of Avermore, is England’s most famous author, but when writer’s block steals his creativity, Sebastian becomes more well-known for his notorious reputation than his work. When Daisy arrives on his doorstep, hired by his publisher to help him write his next book, Sebastian has no intention of cooperating. The provoking, fire-haired beauty stirs his senses beyond belief, and when collaboration forces them together at his country home, Sebastian knows he has only one way out. Seduction.

Read an excerpt. (scroll down)

Other books in this series:

Lawson’s review of Bed of Roses (The Bride Quartet, book 2) by Nora Roberts
Contemporary romance released by Berkley 27 Oct 09

The second book of the Bride Quartet pairs Emma with Jack, and I’m sure there are many that have been waiting for this book. As cute as Mac and Carter were, Emma and Jack could be explosive (potentially). There is some of that, but also some very subtle insights into what makes a relationship work, between friends, lovers and others in between.

With one of the partners of Vows now engaged, the other members feel a bit jealous, but are very happy for Mac and Carter. Emma Grant has plenty to keep her busy to make her happy in other ways as well. Her flower business as part of Vows is doing extremely well and she’s surrounded by friends, family, and sometimes a new man. What Emma doesn’t expect is the sparks that fly when she gets stranded on the side of the road after a party and Jack Cooke comes to her rescue.

Jack has had an attraction to Emma for years, but he’s never known if she would return it and since she’s his best friend’s honorary sister he’s kept a hands off approach. When the sparks fly after an unexpected kiss, Jack knows it’s his time to try to get closer to Emma, in any way possible. What starts is a casual relationship that defies what Jack has expected of being with a woman and he gets more than comfortable with being with Emma.

With their past as friends as well as his past relationships, Jack works to keep things simple, but when deeper feelings are involved, his as well as Emma’s, Jack knows he has to change is views that overcome his past and work for a happy future.

Emma is one of those nice people that is annoying with her chipperness, but you can’t help but want to be friends with her anyway. Even with a sunny outlook on life, Emma is still a realist. She’s always had men around her, but she keeps things easy and makes sure there are not hurt feelings on either side when she knows things won’t work out. When she realizes she is really attracted to her good friend Jack, she works through her feelings before she jumps in the sack, which is always nice to see.

Jack is similar to Emma, though he’s been protective of himself due to his parent’s divorce. While Emma has had a large family and always seen the true love of her parents, Jack knows that’s rare and sometimes goes out of his way to protect his space. He’s still a great guy, very caring and understanding of Emma and gets surprised by how easy being with her and how necessary she is for his life.

Emma struggles throughout the story with keeping her feelings to herself so she doesn’t scare Jack away. While that makes sense with the way Jack has run from commitment and a friend turned lover would recognize that part of his character, Emma has a bit of an overreaction about his ingrained habits near the end of the book. However, I didn’t care. I completely understand how she felt in that moment and how she’d tried to show her love by caring for him in many different ways. Plus, Emma beat herself up enough and recognized her own faults as well as Jack’s, which made her such a well rounded and wonderful character.

It was a sweet and wonderful love story, not just for the romance between Jack and Emma, but both of their realism towards being in a relationship and the change from friends to lovers. It was also nice to see the continuation of Mac and Carter, as they plan for their wedding, the set up of the next book between Laurel and Del, and meeting Parker’s man (I think). Go get this series ASAP, you won’t be sorry.

Grade: A-

As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe “I do” moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman’s dream day come true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyful moments captured on film, Nora Roberts’s Bride Quartet shares each woman’s emotionally magical journey to romance.

In Bed of Roses, florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends at Vows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to be thriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn’t found Mr. Right. And the last place she’s looking is right under her nose.

But that’s just where Jack Cooke is. He’s so close to the women of Vows that he’s practically family, but the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. When Emma returns his passion—kiss for blistering kiss—they must trust in their history…and in their hearts.

Read an excerpt

Lawson’s review of To Desire a Devil (Legend of the Four Soliders) by Elizabeth Hoyt
Historical romance released by Vision 1 Nov 09

Hoyt’s Legend of the Four Soldiers ends circling back to the beginning a little with the St. Aubyn family. Emeline’s brother who has been thought dead for seven years has appeared in London. Reynaud’s arrival is a shock to many, including the uncle that took over his title. Those that have been waiting for the revelation of the traitor of the 28th Foot at Spinner’s Falls will get that story resolved as well as see the happy endings of all those of the series so far.

When Reynaud St. Aubyn interrupts a political tea in his father’s town house, he really doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s feverish and happy to have made it back to London after seven years of captivity among a tribe in North America. After several days of recovery, he comes to know the niece of his uncle, the new Earl, Beatrice Corning, who has been caring for him.

Beatrice has been fascinated by Reynaud for years. She’s started for many hours many nights at his portrait, painted just before he went to the colonies. The real man is much more fascinating, dark, mysterious and damaged from his captivity. He’s also driven to reach the goal he’s had for the last seven years, which is to do anything to regain all that he’s lost. His title, lands, money and family. Unfortunately his uncle is attempting to prove his insanity to keep the title.

Placed in the middle and forced to make a choice, Beatrice works for her own ends trying to get a bill passed that would provide for veterans. Reynaud tries to get Beatrice on his side so that he doesn’t look insane and he can regain his title. The traitor works to cover his tracks so he won’t hang for his decisions.

Beatrice is a sweet, strong heroine, but she never seemed fully fleshed out. She’s devoted her life to helping her uncle, but she doesn’t agree with his political leanings. She devotes quite a bit of time to her friend Jeremy, who came home from the war horribly scarred. She spends time with her friend Lottie, who has some troubles with her marriage, which disillusions Beatrices towards love and marriage. While there are many facets to her personality, as a character, she seems a bit flat.

Reynaud is about the same. He sets out to use Beatrice and claim her as his own, but there isn’t much emotion involved in either decision. His focus is on the goal of regaining his life and damn anyone who wants to get in his way. He does get drawn into the search for the traitor by Vale, but that feeds is ultimate goals rather than is something that he feels he should do.

The story does have some interesting points, but they are just blips on the radar that get a bit overwhelmed by the somewhat interesting, but unfortunately flat characters of Beatrice and Reynaud. The other thing is Hoyt’s use of a fairy tale to open each chapter. While somewhat entertaining and showing a different side to the characters, the fairy tale, in the end, just distracts from the story. From the excerpt at the end of the book, it appears Hoyt will continue the use of fairy tales in the next series. While a concept that sets her apart from other writers, the fairy tales are almost like a schtick and don’t help the main story as they did in Hoyt’s first series.

Grade: C-

NOTHING IS MORE INTOXICATING-
Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl’s heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?

OR DANGEROUS-
Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle’s home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.

THAN SURRENDERING TO A DEVIL.
Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud’s savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice’s love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

Read an excerpt

Lawson’s review of Sliding Home by Kate Angell
Contemporary romance released by Love Spell 25 Aug 09

It’s summer, and that makes me happy to see some baseball books. I do enjoy baseball, but unfortunately I don’t really know much about it or really follow it much. That said during the summer it’s a nice pastime to think about baseball and read a baseball book. So far I enjoyed Jill Shalvis’ first in her baseball series and I’ve read a few in this series by Kate Angell. So let’s step up to the plate and see what’s going to come from the pitcher’s mound.

Kason Rhodes has come home to his trailer from six weeks of training camp in Florida to find a squatter occupying his home. She’s full of fire and refuses to leave and doesn’t believe he owns the trailer she’s decided is hers. While Kason does his best to get her out of his life, she does everything she can to cling to the little slice she’s tried to make her own. Kason has his hands full with Dayne Sheridan and slowly she creeps into his life to a point where he wants to come home to her and some tasty instant butterscotch pudding.

Though Dayne doesn’t really believe Kason for a few days, when she sees his electric bill from two months ago, she believes him about the trailer. She comes up with a solution of a small camper of her own to be his neighbor. She doesn’t know he’s a famous baseball player and cares for him the way that no one has before, thinking he’s as poor and desperate as she is. When Dayne finds out the truth, her past comes out, and she’s forced to grab on to the best thing in her life or run away, like she always has.

While both Kason and Dayne have rough pasts and a lot of baggage, nothing really made them seem more than one dimensional characters. Dayne was way too needy for something to call her own, granted with her childhood in poverty and her last relationship, it’s not hard to understand. She didn’t really seem to change much throughout the book though, always afraid the rug would be pulled out from under her and worrying if she had room to store the food in bulk she felt she always needed.

Kason was little better and seemed to put much more effort into making things work and keeping Dayne from running like a scared rabbit since things had gotten tough. While there was some chemistry, since the characters didn’t seem to have much depth, it didn’t really carry through the whole book. The couple of steamy scenes worked well enough, until Dayne complains she’s sore after four times with Kason and his. . .well endowed self. Someone so well endowed will make a girl more than just a little sore after four times (no, not personal experience, but I do trust my source on this one).

Like Angell’s other books, there’s another Richmond Rogue getting lucky in love. The secondary story between Rhaden and Ravelle seemed like an addition that Angell felt she had to make to go with the rest of the series to have two happy endings in one book. It was barely touched on and never filled out. That sort of short and flat secondary story just didn’t work as a whole. If there had been more time spent on it, it could have fleshed out the book a bit more and even given more depth to Kason and Dayne as well as Rhaden and Ravelle. The shortness of the book overall was probably why the characters didn’t really flesh out. If there had been more time developing them rather than handing things over in a nice little package, it probably would have worked better.

It was a light read and it’s at least good for a summery feeling with the baseball and a happy ending.

Grade: C-

Summary:
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WHO’D BEEN SLEEPING IN KASON RHODES’S BED? The left fielder for the Richmond Rogues had returned from six weeks of spring training in Florida to find someone had moved into his mobile home. That person was presently in his shower. And no matter how sexy the squatter might be, Kason wanted her out. He had his trusty dobie, Cimarron; he didn’t need anyone else in his life. Not even a stubborn tomboy who roused all kinds of wild reactions in him, then soothed his soul with peace offerings of home-cooked meals and kindness. The bad boy of baseball was ready to play hardball if need be, but with Dayne Sheridan firmly planted between his sheets, he found himself. . .SLIDING HOME
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Read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of Written on Your Skin by Meredith Duran
Historical romance released by Pocket Books 28 Jul 09

This is the second book, or more correctly, the companion to Duran’s Bound by Your Touch. While I enjoyed Duran’s debut, Duke of Shadows, I wasn’t as wowed by her second book. The interesting thing is this book occurs concurrently with Bound by Your Touch, but it certainly stands on it’s own. I enjoyed Phin from that story and am glad that his book came so quickly after the first one.

The story opens in Hong Kong and Phineas Granville, going by the name Phineas Monroe, is posing as an arms dealer from Chicago to stop Gerard Collins, a smuggler and all around bad guy, from shipping more arms to Ireland to the Fenians. Phin is happy his assignment is almost over as Collins is set to be arrested soon, but he’s been irratated by Collins’ stepdaughter, Mina Masters. In trying to get away from Mina, he instead ends up on the dance floor with her only to fall forward because he realizes he’s been poisoned.

Mina saves his life and he is able to escape, but their paths cross four years later in London when Collins escapes and kidnaps Mina’s mother. Mina aims to get Phin’s help to find her mother by cashing in the debt he owes her for saving his life. With some creative wrangling, Mina gets him on her side, but with manipulations by the government as well as the traitor that was involved in Hong Kong, both Mina and Phin have to trust each other quickly to get the ending they both want and deserve, and of course, so much more.

Mina definitely has not had the easiest life. She’s been pampered and well cared for, but Collins was verbally and emotionally abusive to her as well as physically abusive to her mother. Desperate to save her mother from Collins’ wrath, Mina has a set plan in mind and shows all the cunning and cleverness she’s capable of to get Phin to help her. Seeing her masks fall off and for her to be herself with Phin was very interesting, because her examination of herself and letting go so that she could trust Phin made her character fascinating.

Phin was very similar in his manner of distrust toward Mina. When he sees she’s telling the truth about things and is not a spy on him sent by his former superior. Phin is carrying various physical and emotional scars from his decade in the clandestine service, mostly because he didn’t like what he had to do while he served Queen and country. Because of their hurt and naturally distrusting natures, the verbal sparring between Mina and Phin set of sparks, not to mention what happened in the bedroom.

Since this book does happen concurrently with Bound By Your Touch, there are two scenes that overlap from that book, but are instead from Phin’s point of view, which definitely is a fresh perspective. Where Phin had been off to is explained well and the mystery in this book is dealt with in a more satisfying manner in the end that matches the characters and their journey throughout the book.

What’s keeping me from giving this book an A is something that I realized after I put the book down. While I loved Mina and Phin and what they grew to by the end of the book and what they saw they could become together, Mina never really cracked Phin. Though she does end up breaking down and growing up, with Phin’s help, and she does help Phin see the things he should be proud of instead of what he regrets, when the same thing happens to Phin, Mina usually ends up physically man-handled. Though she does take it very well and is able to turn the tables on him a bit, it made me a little uncomfortable that his need for physical dominance (though he never hurt her) was what brought things into focus.

Phin otherwise was a good character, seeing being himself was just as worthy as being responsible and dutiful. For fans of great dialogue and smart characters that work very well together, this is a must read.

Grade: B+

THE SOCIETY BEAUTY WHO SAVED HIS LIFE…

Beauty, charm, wealthy admirers: Mina Masters enjoys every luxury but freedom. To save herself from an unwanted marriage, she turns her wiles on a darkly handsome stranger. But Mina’s wouldbe hero is playing his own deceptive game. A British spy, Phin Granville has no interest in emotional entanglements…until the night Mina saves his life by gambling her own.

THE JADED SPY WHO VOWED TO FORGET HER…

Four years later, Phin inherits a title that frees him from the bloody game of espionage. But memories of the woman who saved him won’t let Phin go. When he learns that Mina needs his aid, honor forces him back into the world of his nightmares.

IN LIVES BUILT ON LIES,
LOVE IS THE DARKEST SECRET OF ALL…

Deception has ruled Mina’s life just as it has Phin’s. But as the beauty and the spy match wits in a dangerous dance, their practiced masks begin to slip, revealing a perilous attraction. And the greatest threat they face may not be traitors or murderous conspiracies, but their own dark desires….

Read an excerpt

Lawson’s review of The Promise (The Behaim Family, Book 2) by T. J. Bennett
Historical romance released by Medallion Press 1 May 09

T. J. Bennett continues her series set in 16th century Germany in The Promise. If you haven’t gone out and started reading the first in the series, The Legacy, you definitely should. With a setting that’s not often seen (I think it’s the only time I’ve seen it actually) and a time period that’s not touched upon much, outside of England, The Promise is on the same level as The Legacy, and that means you should run out and pick this one up as well.

The story opens showing the young heroine, Alonsa García de Aranjuéz meeting a young man in the courtyard of her home. Instead of running off with him, as he hopes, they are caught and he suffers a mortal injury, for which he blames Alonsa and curses her and any who might love her. Fast forward a bit and it’s ten years later in Italy. Alonsa is twice widowed and her current fiancee, Martin Dietrich, is dying from battle wounds. She chose him because he didn’t love her and was a Landsknecht (a mercenary for hire).

With his dying breaths, Martin gets his friend Günter Behaim to promise to take care of Alonsa since he knows that Günter has been in love with her for some time. Though Alonsa is unhappy about the promise, she convinces Günter to escort her to Genoa to take a ship back to Spain. Along the way Günter manages to convince Alonsa she should marry him, but things go awry when the French attack and when they are separated both Günter and Alonsa try to do everything to make it back together.

Alonsa is one of few historical heroines I’ve read in a long time that’s been married twice. Since both her husbands loved her in their own ways, they ended up dying because of the curse, or so Alonsa believes. She was pretty realistic for a Spanish woman of the time. Catholic, but still having superstitions when it comes to gypsy curses. Though she’s traveling on her own, she’s selling her father’s swords and that’s how she encountered the German mercenaries.

Günter, who is Wolf’s brother from The Legacy, had a brief role in the first book. The reason he and his brother aren’t close is explained in this story, which had more impact than if it had been explained in the first book. Günter has been traveling as a mercenary for most of his adult life and knows he’s found someone he can settle down with when he meets Alonsa. Having hid his feelings from her for so long, when he can finally marry her he does the smart thing and holds back until he knows Alonsa won’t run scared from her own feelings.

There’s a sweet secondary story with Alonsa’s friend Ines and a young mercenary named Fritz who works hard to woo her. While Alonsa and Günter were concentrating on being honest with each other and not being superstitious, Fritz and Ines concentrate on overcoming their own pasts and how they can accept themselves at the same time as accepting each other. Both of these stories worked very well, but it seemed there was a bit too much concentration on the love aspect and not the love for the rest of one’s life aspect. I’m not sure that people were as fixated on the idea of true love bringing ultimate happiness, but it’s not too much to overwhelm the characters and their path to happiness.

The setting, of course, is the other great part to the story. This time set in Northern Italy during the Battle of Pavia in 1525, there’s a view of how life would have been like for these two foreigners in a new land. And neither character are of the nobility. In fact the only noble is one of the minor characters and he’s from France. It’s refreshing and told very well and I hope T.J. Bennett continues writing in these new and different historical settings. They really help make the story and give lots of interest to the plot as well as seeing great characters fall in love.

Grade: A-

Read other reviews of books in this series by following the series’ tag.

Summary:
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A sacred pledge and a gypsy’s curse drive this medieval love story. Günter Behaim, a professional soldier in the service of Emperor Charles V, has been hardened by betrayal and disloyalty in his life, and he has sworn to make few promises of his own and keep those until death. When his closest friend is mortally wounded on the battlefield, however, Günter pledges to marry the other man’s betrothed and keep her safe. That woman turns out to be a Spanish beauty named Alonsa García de Aranjuéz, but she will have no part of such an agreement.
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Trying to keep his promise, Günter uses every weapon in his romantic arsenal to convince the reluctant woman to marry him, and he begins to love her very much. Meanwhile, Alonsa is falling in love too, but she dares not reveal her feelings because she is under a curse that brings misfortune to any man who loves her. As war draws near and danger surrounds them, the couple has to make a crucial decision: accept their fates or risk everything to be together?
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series:

Lawson’s review of Double Play by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary romance released by Berkley Sensation 7 Jul 09

Summer is in full swing which means going to the beach or sitting poolside, or eve going to a baseball game. Here’s one great way to bring baseball to you, no matter where you are. Shalvis starts a new series about baseball players at the fictional Pacific Heat which fits the bill for sexy summer fun and lots of baseball. This is the first book by Shalvis that I’ve read, but I will say she’s got me hooked and I want to go find more to get a fix for this new habit of mine.

Holly Hutchins is a blog writer who has gotten national attention for her hard hitting articles that uncover secrets in unexpected places. After a stint in the space industry, she’s been assigned to write about the Pacific Heat, an expansion team based in Santa Barbara, Ca. She’s starting to feel dissatisfied with her traveling lifestyle and not being able to trust the people she meets since her job is to uncover the things that people are hiding.

Pace Martin is used to people trying to pry things out of him, but Holly is a bit different. Though he doesn’t want her readers and the rest of the world to know about a nagging shoulder injury, her ability to show her care about him while separating it from her work intrigues him. And he can’t stop his attraction to her, even if she isn’t his type. The realities of life in the public, Holly’s job and the life of a professional baseball player all play their part in getting in the way, but Holly and Pace have to choose what’s most important to them to get safely to home (to use a baseball metaphor).

Both Holly and Pace are great characters. They show depths of their personalities as the story progresses, but Shalvis makes sure the characters stay true to who they are when they first meet in the first chapter. Holly is driven, but lonely after a hard childhood never trusting her mother and not knowing if she’d have money for food and basic clothing. Making this into a career into investigative online journalism has continued her life into constant moving and not forming solid relationships.

Pace has been struggling with a shoulder injury that could potentially end his career. While he knows it could come eventually, he knows that right now is not the time. His integrity in turning down the temptations that could truly end his career shows he’s got more than just ambition to be the best, but a true love of the game. It also shows Pace the need to take stock of his circumstances and still do the things he’s been doing, which is just as rewarding as his baseball career.

The interactions and conversations of Holly and Pace also worked really well, and there’s several scenes in a shower that definitely steams things more than just the residual heat left over from hot water. The other thing is that though Holly is a journalist, she’s always honest about what she’s writing and why and never tries to hide or lie to pace or anyone associated with the team. Pace, though not wanting his injury public knowledge, doesn’t lie to Holly about anything he’s done, even when he’s caught in a scandal.

The other star of the story, baseball, is a welcome addition. I will admit that though I like baseball I don’t know much about it. What was given in this book seemed to be the real deal to me, from locker room conversations to how the players may act on their off time. The story even contains a secondary plotline about the issue of performance enhancers and the effect on baseball and the players which fit in well with not only the story, but putting baseball in the context of today’s views of the game. The romance did suffer a slight amount due to some of the baseball things, but everything worked well with the story and the characterizations.

The next book in the series follows the catcher of the team and the team PR exec, and as long as it’s as enjoyable as Double Play (which I know it will) I will follow this series to the end of the 9th inning.

Grade: A-

Summary:
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Getting to first base is a cinch….
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But getting home will take a grand slam…
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Pace Martin is the ace pitcher for the Pacific Heat. He’s go the arm, the experience and the wins. He’s also got the pain, the pressure and the possible end of his career looming over him. The last thing he needs now is a distractions, even if it comes in the form of a tough, beautiful, tell-it-like-it-is writer who sees past his defenses.
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Holly Hutchins knows a good story when she sees one, and the tall, dark and slightly attitude-challenged Pace Martin fits the bill. But when she realizes there’s more at stake than just a win, she starts to see the handsome, broad-shouldered jock in a different light.
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Pace and Holly begin a seductive game, but in the face of unexpected betrayal and challenges, they’ll have to find the courage to swing for the fences. . .
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Read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of The Legacy (The Behaim Family, Book 1) by T. J. Bennett
Historical romance released by Medallion Press 1 Apr 08

If anyone has been looking for a romance set in a time and place other than 19th century England or a medieval set in England or Ireland or Scotland or even the British Isles in general, this is a book for you. It’s set in 1525. In Saxony. That’s right, it’s in the Holy Roman Empire (or the German area of Europe) and it’s right after the Protestant Reformation has started in Wittenburg after Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door. Talk about a setting that’s not that popular, and Bennett definitely runs with it.

Baronesse Sabina von Ziegler has traded one prison for another. Locked away in a convent by her greedy adoptive father she escapes and comes home to reclaim her inheritance, only to find herself locked in the dungeon by her father for refusing to help him in any way. Her only way out is to marry a man her father has found for her, though she knows that there are many ulterior motives in play that she doesn’t know much about.

To hide the shame from his father’s death and debts, Wolfgang Behaim agrees to the marriage to Sabina under duress from her father. He’d never planned to marry after his wife died, but Sabina is not what he expected from a former nun. As the marriage progresses both realize they can’t not consummate the union, the attraction is so very strong, but both have demons they need to deal with, as well as the machinations of Sabina’s father and other Reformation events out of their control, to find happiness in the end.

Sabina had a good amount of spunk and backbone for a woman who’d basically been beat down by her father then a convent for the last decade. Not that she didn’t cry when things got tough, but she didn’t let them get her down. Though a Baronesse, she hasn’t had a pampered life and pitches in as she can around Wolf’s household. The scars she carries from her treatment by her father for a tragic incident in her past are overcome in a realistic manner, if it is perhaps a bit out of place in a realistic relationship from the time.

Wolf has the burden of his father’s death, which he’s lied to everyone about, as well as his fear of loving anyone again after his wife’s death in childbirth. Wolf does a lot of pointless fighting of his emotions, even for a male who doesn’t acknowledge his own feelings until it’s almost too late. He’s still a noble guy, running his own printing business in Nuremberg as well as taking over his father’s in Wittenburg. Yep folks, that’s right, our hero is a working man in a historical occupation that makes sense in 1525 Saxony.

I loved the history in the background of this story. Brief mentions of Martin Luther and some of his followers as well as Thomas Muntzer, a troublemaker of the time. It gave a great feeling and setting to the story that brought the period alive, and I’m sure there are not a lot of people familiar with this period in history. I would have preferred if Wolf had been a bit more accepting of his own feelings, but with Sabina’s backbone and the great historical feeling, I’d recommend this one to anyone in the mood for a historical in a fresh setting.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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When her brief, disastrous marriage to a fortune hunter ends in scandal, Baronesse Sabina von Ziegler’s vengeful adoptive father imprisons her in a cloister. She arranges a daring escape and suddenly finds herself betrothed to Wolfgang Behaim, a tradition-bound printer from the rising middle class with a secret that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. As they fight to discover the truth of the mysteries surrounding the Baron’s machinations, they find themselves challenged by a fiery passion they cannot resist. Can they overcome their past and find love even as lies, war, and an unexpected enemy conspire against them?
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Read an excerpt here.

Lawson’s review of Four Dukes and a Devil by Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash, and Tracy Anne Warren
Mixed sub-genre Romance Anthology released by Avon 30 Jun 09

There’s a bit of a stretch with a Duke in one of these stories (yes, the one with the dog) but it’s a cute anthology all around and could give any reader something to be happy about. There’s historical stories, a contemporary and a paranormal. This one comes out at a good time too as it’d be great to read on the beach or by the pool this summer.

The Irish Duke by Cathy Maxwell

Miss Susan Rogers is trying to make a name for herself as a person who can get young ladies married. Her gimmick to drum up business seems to get her when the Irish Duke (who will always be last) shows up in London and sets his sights on her.

This story was cute, I liked the conversations between Susan and Roan, the Irish Duke. The story was fast too, as they meet once, there’s a bet and then they’re declaring their love. The story was too condensed to give credibility to the romance, but it showed some good characterization in the small number of pages.

Grade: B-

Read an excerpt (actually the whole story).

The Duke Who Came to Dinner by Elaine Fox

Sam Gregory is shocked to look out of his window one morning to see a woman riding by naked on a bike. Though he’s intrigued, he doesn’t think he’ll see her until she stumbles into the local dive bar. Grey Gilliam is house-sitting until her friend Rachel can sell her house. Sam and Grey hit it off, but will Grey’s missing dress, a big dog named Duke and a ghost of a Duke keep them apart?

I haven’t read any books by Fox, but after reading this charming story it made me want to look some up. Grey was fun, even though she’s a little neurotic, but she’s got some mommy issues. Sam was dreamy and the romance didn’t feel rushed. While not a definite happily ever after, it was realistic in the idea that you could see these two ending up together.

Grade: B+

Read an excerpt (scroll down quite a bit).

Devil to Pay by Jeaniene Frost

Blake Turner is trying hard to kill himself. Since being possessed by a demon six months ago he doesn’t want to keep doing horrible things. His luck turns around when he meets Elise, a vampire, who then does everything she can to save his life.

This is an offshoot of Frost’s Night Huntress series, and while it did stand well on it’s own with different characters, knowing some basic information about the world would have been helpful. The romance went at a good pace though and did seem very believable. It was an interesting concept with the demon possession and Frost’s vampire mythos.

Grade: B

Catch of the Century by Sophia Nash

Victoria Givan is not in a good mood. After being stranded by the mail coach, she’s nearly run over by and then feels forced to accept the help of John Varick, Duke of Beaufort. She’s used to running her own life and doesn’t want anything to do with the “Catch of the Century”. John has other ideas and while helping her small herd of boys before they start an architectural apprenticeship he tries to win her heart.

There was a bit too much of the “lady doth protest too much” in this one, though it worked with the idea of Victoria’s that she’s too far below the station of a Duke (which she definitely is a teacher at a foundling school). She’s a quirky character and when John does see through her actions to what she’s really feeling it works. This one is loosely tied to the

Grade: C+

Summary:

In Sophia’s novella, the most eligible gentleman in London’s marriage mart reluctantly rescues a stranded school mistress. When the duke is forced to go heart-to-heart with the spirited siren, (Victoria Givan from Love With the Perfect Scoundrel), the well-documented Catch of the Century finds out she’s the only one he can’t have.

Read an excerpt.

Charmed By Her Smile by Tracy Anne Warren

Miss India Byron is a lively girl, but she’s being chased by an annoying friend of her brother’s. To keep him away from her she kisses an unknown man in a garden and asks him again to show devotion to her at a house party so the unwanted suitor goes away. What happens instead is the play-courting becomes real on both sides. Whatever is one to do?

This was another cute story, though I wasn’t comfortable with the age difference between the two leads. While I’m sure fourteen years is historically accurate, it’s not something I usually like to see in a romance novel. India in fact seemed to act quite a few years older than she was, or at least have more social experience than for a girl that had never had a season. Otherwise it was a cute, light story and I liked the handling of the annoying suitor.

Grade: C+

Summary:

In Charmed By Her Smile, cousin India Byron finds herself in need of rescue from an unwanted suitor. To create the illusion that she’s being courted by another man, she demands a kiss from the devilish Duke of Weybridge. Little does she expect the passion she unleashes when she finds him only too happy to oblige.

Read an excerpt.

Overall Grade: B-

Summary:
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Fall in love with the unpredictable and irresistible dukes (and one dog named Duke) in this collection of stories by bestselling authors Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash, and Tracy Anne Warren, for tales of noble danger and devilish desire.
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Delicate young ladies must be protected from him.
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First he steals her clothes, then he steals her heart.
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Most would be terrified of this powerful vampire—but not him.
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He’s “the catch of the century” . . . but she’s the one he can’t have.
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A young miss demands a kiss. But he won’t rest once she’s touched her lips to his.
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With four dukes and one devil, there’s no limit to love.

Lawson’s review of My Wicked Marquess by Gaelen Foley
Historical romance released by Avon 30 Jun 09

Gaelen Foley’s first book with Avon starts off a new series. The Knights are not in this series anywhere, so don’t hope for any appearances of those characters. Instead, this book starts off a series centered around members of a notorious club in London, the Inferno Club. Things are not what they seem however, and the intrigue, secrets and lies start to pile up in this first installment.

The first time the reader meets the hero and heroine of the story they are on opposite sides of the street. Daphne Starling is on her weekly trip to an orphanage she supports and is in need of rescue from the local street gang. Out of the building across the street a man stumbles out, drunk, and draws the ruffians off. Daphne learns later he is Max St. Albans, Marquess of Rotherstone, and though she realizes that he was feigning drunkenness, he was coming out of a brothel, which she doesn’t approve of.

Max is a member of the notorious Inferno Club and back in London after a long tour of the continent. His real purpose for his travels was as an operative for a secret order that fights the evil machinations of another even older secret order. Now that Napoleon has been defeated and the Prometheans are weakened, Max has come home to London to find a bride and on the list provided by his solicitor, Daphne’s name makes Max curious. Though Daphne has a sterling reputation, she’s been subject to recent gossip as a jilt.

Max begins his pursuit of Daphne, partially to irk his childhood nemesis Lord Albert Carew but mostly because she brings light to his dark and dreary double life. As Max methodically works to get Daphne to marry him, Daphne tries to show Max love, caring and the meaning of an equal partnership in a relationship. Each has their personal battles to fight and the lies keep stacking up and threaten this new relationship more than either thought possible.

Instead of addressing the characters first I’d rather talk about the story. For many that subscribe to the conspiracy theory idea that there are secret societies that are really running things and there’s a war going on behind the scenes that few really know about, this story will be right up your alley. Not only is Max a spy, in the James Bond 20th century sense, but his secret society, the Order of St. Michael, was founded by crusaders. The story about the centuries long struggle between the two societies would fit in really well into the adventures of Dr. Robert Langdon, but it’s too much of a historical stretch for this reader.

Both Daphne and Max are pretty stereotypical leads. She’s the saint of the ton who’s the subject of vicious gossip because she bruised Lord Albert’s ego by rejecting him. She knows everyone and is well liked in general except for the snobby few that believe the jilt gossip. She wants to marry for love and has a doting and indulgent father and a petty stepmother who wants her out of the house. Daphne also is pretty oblivious to things that don’t really revolve around her such as her father’s finances and her familial duties.

Max feels he’s never been loved and just wants a wife to give him heirs. When Daphne’s caring inspires him to go after her he tries to get all her love without giving any in return. While keeping his work for the Order secret, he lies to her continuously and it takes way too long before he comes clean. He thinks he can manipulate people to do what he wants all the time and everything should go along with his plans. Again, it takes him way too long to see that philosophy doesn’t work, especially with a wife around.

I’ll most likely read the next book in this series, because Foley is a writer that I keep hoping can live up to The Duke, but the last few have come up way too short in comparison. The spark of what Foley is capable of is evident in the telling of the stories of the Order versus the Prometheans and the lead up to the next book in the series at the end, but it just shows how notably absent that style was in the rest of the book.

Grade: D+

  Summary:
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To restore family honor the Marquess of Rotherstone faces his most dangerous mission—finding the perfect bride . . .
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To London’s aristocracy, the Inferno Club is a scandalous society of men no proper young lady would acknowledge. But though they are publicly notorious for pursuing all manner of debauchery, in private they are warriors who would do anything to protect king and country.
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The Marquess of Rotherstone has decided it’s time to restore the family’s good name. But as a member of the Inferno Club, he knows there is only one way to redeem himself in Society’s eyes: marry a lady of impeccable beauty and breeding, whose reputation is, above all, spotless.
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Someone quite unlike Daphne Starling. True, she’s temptingly lovely, but a jilted suitor has nearly ruined her reputation. Still, Max cannot resist her allure—or the challenge of proving London’s gossips wrong. He would do anything to win her hand . . . and show that even a wicked marquess can make a perfect husband.
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Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Wicked Little Game by Christine Wells
Historical romance released by Berkley Sensation 7 Jul 09

If you’ve seen the movie “Indecent Proposal“, the first few chapters of this book are going to seem a bit familiar. When I read the excerpt I wanted to read this book to see how Wells would work things out. Just the idea of a man wanting to pay an overly large amount of money to spend the night with another man’s wife is an intriguing concept. What happens after the night is over is where this story diverges from Hollywood.

Lucas Morrow, Marquis of Vane, has been lusting after Lady Sarah Cole for a number of years. Though she’d rebuffed his offer years ago, that never stopped him from wanting her. One night he’s at a disreputable establishment when Sarah’s husband comes to him with an offer: 10,000 pounds for one night with his wife. Vane is horrified that any man would treat his wife that way and leaves in disgust.

When Sarah arrives at his townhouse later that night he’s shocked and does his best to be a gentleman in the face of her obvious distress. What transpires is magical and passionate to Vane, but he can see in the morning that Sarah has regretted what happened. Sarah does her best to distance herself from Vane after a wonderful night, and runs home to find her husband murdered. There’s only one choice that Sarah has: marry Vane or face ruin for the rest of her life.

There’s, of course, more going on than meets the eye. With Brinsley Cole’s death, Sarah is the prime suspect first, as he was her husband, and then Vane, as his carriage conveyed Sarah home the night of the murder. Since Sarah’s father is a prominent politician there’s a small government cover-up to make sure there’s no scandal. Through all this Sarah is desperately seeking Brinsley’s illegitimate child, because she’s barren and it’s a last ditch effort to exercise her maternal instincts.

Sarah is such a sympathetic character in the beginning. She obviously wants to do right by the child, Tom, since she’s never had any children of her own. When her husband tells her of the proposal, and a skewed and completely untrue retelling at that, she wants to confront Vane. The next morning and for the rest of the book Sarah just spirals downward into self pity, wrapping her pride and martyrdom around her and never seems to let it go until it’s almost too late. Her moment of realization leads her to do a 180 and doesn’t ring true with the way she’d been portrayed for the rest of the book.

With Sarah the way she is, it’s amazing that Vane sees anything worthwhile in what she does. He’s loving, caring, supportive and does his best to make her happy. When she rejects all of that time and again and can’t face facts, he acts in the best way possible. Is it hurtful? Yes, but if he really wanted to keep her he had to shock her to get her to face reality rather than her selfish inclinations disguised as good deeds.

The murder seemed to be thrown in so that the marriage could take place rather than as a valid event that propelled the plot. It provided another reason for Sarah to try to play the martyr rather than trying to move on with her life. The murder also forced her to go back to her parents and apologize about running off with an unsuitable man (and he is really unsuitable, though it doesn’t come about until much later).

Sarah, in fact, has to fact a lot of facts and truths that she didn’t acknowledge before. Through it all that martyrdom and pride is what she clings to rather than anything that Vane may offer. If she had been a bit more open to the turn her life had taken rather than thinking she needed to be constantly punished for running off at the age of 17. Her constant judgment of herself as well as others doesn’t make the romance seem believable and Vane suffers for it, as he’s a superb leading man.

Grade: C+

Summary:

“You want my wife. You always have…”

For years, the Marquis of Vane has hungered for Lady Sarah from afar, watching the beauty brave a cruel marriage. When Sarah’s wastrel husband makes Vane a shocking proposal – one night with Sarah for 10,000 pounds – the temptation is almost too great. Tricked by her husband into fulfilling his wicked bargain, Sarah can’t refuse a night of exquisite pleasure with the devastating man who haunts her dreams. But neither she nor Vane imagined their passionate encounter would set the stage for murder, or that a deadly twist of fate could spell a love to last all time…

Read an excerpt

Lawson’s review of When His Kiss Is Wicked by Kaitlin O’Riley
Historical romance released by Zebra 1 Apr 09

Kaitlin O’Riley was a surprise find for me when I read her first book, Secrets of a Duchess. Her second book, One Sinful Night, was an emotional read and made O’Riley a must read for me. O’Riley’s third book starts a new series of five sisters in London. Collette Hamilton is the oldest of the five Hamilton sisters, who are running their father’s bookstore after he has passed on.

Collette meets Lucien Sinclair, Earl of Waverly, when he comes into the bookstore to get some books to read to his own invalid father. Since it had been some time since he’d been to Hamilton’s, he’s surprised to see a woman working there, and equally as surprised to be attracted to her and want to kiss her. After he places an order, Collette thinks she’ll never see him again, but in fact she meets him at a ball later. Her uncle is trying to marry off Collette and her sister Juliette as quickly as possible so he can get some money from them as well as sell the bookstore.

Lucien keeps coming back to the bookstore to see Collette and meets the rest of her family, and they begin to dance around each other in the way that people do when they don’t want to admit an attraction. Along the way Lucien’s friend Jeffery gets involved with the Hamilton family and Lucien, as well as Collette, have to decide if they can live the life they thought they wanted, or live a life with each other and be happy.

One of the biggest problems in this book was as Lucien and Collette take one step forward in their relationship, inevitably they take two steps back. Collette is desperate to make the bookstore a success and support her family, and Lucien thinks that women shouldn’t work or run a business as that’s the man’s domain. When their relationship goes all the way, Lucien is cold to Collette and she lets him treat her like she’d been used. It was frustrating.

Another issue was Lucien’s inability to recognize his own feelings. Not just realizing he’d fallen in love with Collette, but what feelings he was having at any time with his father, his mother who has returned after abandoning him years ago, and how he truly felt about Collette trying to save her family on her own without any help. Only his time with his friend Jeffery seems to have any sort of emotional sincerity. When other characters tell him he’s in love with Collette instead of realizing this himself, does he work to make sure she doesn’t get away.

Collette herself, though knowing herself a bit better than Lucien, just tried too hard to do it all herself. In a time when women weren’t really allowed to own and run a business, she thinks she can change minds in a very short amount of time. Her business plan is sound for her family’s bookstore, but it smack too much of trying to almost Barnes and Noble-ize the business. Most likely sound business practice, but also ahead of it’s time. Not to mention thinking she can get away with not getting married when she’s got a greedy uncle pushing her in that direction.

Collette’s sister Juliette and Lucien’s friend Jeffery become fast friends and they seemed to have a genuine rapport, they seemed too alike and I hope they don’t get their story in the next book as it didn’t seem to be the way those two characters should go. The rest of the secondaries, the sisters and mother of the Hamilton family and the uncle, and Lucien’s parents are all rather stereotypical. Each of the sisters has one unique characteristic, and their mother is of the fading belle of the ball variety who is depressed because she didn’t get the life she wished. At least the sisters can handle the machinations of the uncle, even if the mother can’t. Lucien’s parents, while having touching reunion, at least show why Lucien can’t actualize what feelings he’s having.

It did have potential to be an interesting story, but it’s just a muddle and though Juliette and Jeffery had some bright spots for the book, they shouldn’t have to be the ones that save it, it should be Collette and Lucien. I’ll keep reading O’Riley’s books, but this one was a letdown and I hope not a predictor of the rest of the series.

Grade: D+

Summary:
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After her father’s death, Colette Hamilton is left with four sisters, an invalid mother and a failing bookshop. The only way she can save the family business is with her unconventional ideas…or let her uncle marry her off. As for the handsome stranger is the bookshop? He’s Lucien Sinclair, son of an earl, and a notorious rogue uninterested in marriage.
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Unknown to Colette, Lucien has begun an urgent search for a bride, so that his ailing father might see him married before he dies. He knows what he wants– a plain biddable woman without the curse of beauty to endanger his heart. Yet no matter how he tries, Lucien finds himself unable to stay away from Colette. And as sinful pleasure lures them ever closer to the edge of ruin, the only question that matter is whether they can survive the fall…
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Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran
Historical romance released by Pocket 30 Jun 09

Duran’s first book, Duke of Shadows, was a great debut and a powerful story. If you haven’t read it, you should, though it is a stand alone book and has no relation to this story. After reading this one, it’s clear that Duran puts a lot of research into her books and tries as hard as possible to get details that help make the story. While I didn’t know the exact year, there were enough details to help give a general time frame in the 1880s.

Lydia Boyce is the oldest of three sisters and hoping to get her youngest sister Antonia married this season so that she can go join her father on his digs in Egypt. Her middle sister, Sophie, is already married and helping give Antonia a season with her husband’s money. While trying to raise funds for her father by giving a lecture at the Archeological society, Lydia is rudely interrupted by James Durham, Viscount Sanburne. Lydia gives James a scathing setdown and embarrasses him publicly (and in front of his father) and disparages of ever getting funding to help her father’s digs.

James has a conspiracy theory on his mind after the incident at the Archeological Society and sets out to prove that Lydia, her father and possibly his own father set him up to be a laughingstock in the academic world, since he’s far too popular to be shunned by society. Instead he and Lydia find someone passing off fake artifacts in London and are forced to work together because someone has done worse things than sending forgeries from Egypt.

In all of this James begins to see the shy, vulnerable woman behind Lydia’s bookish exterior and Lydia sees a hurt, troubled man beneath James’ devil-may-care antics. Their search for the truth encompasses some foreign intrigue, foreign policy and the discovery about their own family’s actions and how that has shaped their own lives. Both James and Lydia are forced to accept their family situations and perhaps the fact that being themselves is the best freedom of all.

There’s a lot of heavy emotional baggage that both James and Lydia have to deal with. Lydia had been serious about a man who ended up marrying her sister. She’s felt betrayed for many years by her sister’s actions and when the truth comes out it’s refreshing to see both characters had their own motivations, though Sophie comes out as the more selfish one. The other thing is the abandonment the sisters feel due to the fact that their father is always in Egypt instead of London. Lydia feels it most of all because she has molded her life to fit her father’s antiquities trade and her studies to one day join him on a dig.

James has a horrible relationship with his father, always trying to get attention away from his father and punish his father for a past mistake that happened to his sister. He’s seen as mad and his sister has been put in the country for a horrific act of hers that James blames himself for. He thinks his father is keeping her locked away and this drives a wedge in the father-son relationship. James also feels as though he’s a prisoner of society since he’s always being watched and is expected to behave a certain way at all times.

The roles in society and how James and Lydia deal with them in their own way is rather interesting. Lydia is almost the stereotypical spinster in the fact that she’s always done things propriety dictates and is rather prudish about behavior and thinks this is what will get her younger sister to marry. James hates that because he has a title and wealth he has duties and chafes under the social strictures that ostracized his sister. While it seemed okay, when Lydia is able to let herself go, it sadly shows that she’s been pretending to be someone else for most of the book and hasn’t ever really been true to herself.

The other thing that was a bit off, is the fact that both fathers end up the opposite of how they started off as. To give details would spoil the story, but what Lydia and James believe about their respective fathers gets so turned around it doesn’t ring true for the rest of the characterization of James, Lydia or their families. It comes across as trying to give the hero and heroine too much to overcome to get to the happy ending at the end.

The historical feel of the book was excellent though. There were plenty of descriptions of events not only in London but around the world to give a Victorian feeling to the story. What I enjoyed most was the idea that being a bookish sort, Lydia would be the type to expound upon her own opinions about Home Rule (that would be Ireland), the poor, the Egypt situation and others if she happened to find herself at the same dinner party as Gladstone.

I’m interested to see where the story continues going as the next book, out in July, follows Phin Granville who has a part in this story and is a school friend of James’. Phin works in a secretive fashion for the government and his motivations for being who he is do seem rather interesting. Be sure to be on the lookout at the end of the month for Phin’s story.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London’s favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous.
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But Sanburne’s golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath . . . and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within—in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.
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Read an excerpt

Lawson’s review of What Happens in London by Julia Quinn
Historical romance released by Avon 30 Jun 09

This book is the sequel to The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever, following Miranda’s best friend Olivia. I don’t know how many have been wanting this story, but I’m glad to see that Olivia got her story and perhaps her twin brother Winston will get his as well. There are some comic elements in this story, but don’t be scared away if you’re not a fan of “teh funnah” as it’s well done and not of the slapstick variety.

Olivia learns from her friends that her new neighbor, Sir Harry Valentine has a dreadful rumor passing around about him. Supposedly he may have killed his fiancee and Olivia could be living next door to a murderer. Olivia doesn’t believe it, but she decides to watch Harry from her bedroom window to see if she can discover anything about him. What she sees is him sitting behind his desk reading lots of papers, and sometimes wearing a silly hat. When she meets him in person after many days watching him, she takes a near instant dislike to him.

Harry knows his neighbor has been watching him for a number of days, but he doesn’t know why. Thinking she’s no more than a spoiled debutante, he writes her off, but when their paths keep crossing he doesn’t do anything to try to change his opinion of her. Instead he’s ordered by his superiors at the Home Office to watch her, as she is being courted by a Russian prince who possibly is in England to be up to no good. With Harry and Olivia thrown together more than either would like, their feelings of animosity change rapidly, though it’s possible the danger tied to the Russian could ruin everything.

I’ve never been a big fan of the dislike turning to love sort of story. What works in this one is that even though at first, and for a bit of time, Harry and Olivia don’t like each other, they still talk to the other. In this talking they start to learn about each other and the romance is able to blossom in a believable fashion. There are some hiccups along the way, but it doesn’t hamper the sweet and at times funny story.

Olivia, having been introduced in Secret Diaries as the opposite of Miranda. She’s bubbly, charming and very pretty. She feels though that people see the outward beauty and not what’s on the inside. Olivia, though, has her own quirks that make her a good character. Instead of reading gothic novels, she likes to read the newspaper, isn’t dazzled by a Russian prince just because of his title, and likes to get the better of Harry when she can.

Harry is someone of depth himself. He works as a translator for the War Department and his skills with language is why he’s ordered to watch Olivia and the Russian prince. He’s funny as well and has a good friend in Sebastian, whom he joined the army with to get away from his father, a drunk (though not a mean one). He has fun when he sees Olivia watching him through her window and his attempts at teasing her tend to not go as planned.

There’s a great scene involving the Russian prince, Sebastian, Harry’s brother Edward and the recitation and enactment of a lurid gothic novel that possibly could go over well in Russia. It’s a bit of comedy that’s not slapstick and a great moment that had me laughing out loud and chuckling over long after I’d finished the book. Comedy aside the intrigue with the Russian prince is placed in as more of a plot device and in the end doesn’t really seem to fit in the rest of the book, but it’s so minimal that it’s not overwhelming to the rest of the story.

Though the first half is a bit choppy, with the not liking each other, when Harry and Olivia talk enough to get past that it’s a charming story with some good comedy and a little bit of intrigue that delivers.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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When Olivia Bevelstoke is told that her new neighbor may have killed his fiancée, she doesn’t believe it for a second, but still, how can she help spying on him, just to be sure? So she stakes out a spot near her bedroom window, cleverly concealed by curtains, watches, and waits… and discovers a most intriguing man, who is definitely up to something.
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Sir Harry Valentine works for the boring branch of the War Office, translating documents vital to national security. He’s not a spy, but he’s had all the training, and when a gorgeous blonde begins to watch him from her window, he is instantly suspicious. But just when he decides that she’s nothing more than a nosy debutante, he discovers that she might be engaged to a foreign prince, who might be plotting against England. And when Harry is roped into spying on Olivia, he discovers that he might be falling for her himself…
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Lawson’s review of How to Score by Robin Wells
Contemporary romance released by Grand Central 1 Jun 09

To take a break from the historicals Sybil gave me, I got this one. I’d read Wells’ Between the Sheets, though this is in no way a sequel or connected. While series can be fun to see characters grow over a few books, meeting new characters and being in different settings is great from time to time from an author. There are some slapstick moments and some of the funnah, so those of you who like a cute comedy, I’m sure you’ll be interested in this one.

FBI Special Agent Chase Jones is helping his brother Luke Jones while Luke is in Witness Protection. Luke is a life coach, but Chase thinks the people that seek the services of a life coach just need to get a life and not be babied. When Sammi Matthews calls Chase hears her story, but her sexy voice makes him want to see her in person. When he goes for an early morning run to get a glimpse of Sammi he gets tangled up due to Sammi’s dog (literally) and is very attracted to Sammi.

Sammi’s luck with men has been non-existent in the recent past and she seeks the help of Luke to coach her through her tendency to maim her dates. Though she likes talking to Luke and getting his advice, Chase keeps sending her mixed signals and that doesn’t help her self-esteem much. Taking a risk in her personal life is as hard as taking a risk in her professional life as she’s having a hard time in her new job against the woman she’s replacing.

As Chase keeps getting tangled in Sammi’s life, both as “Luke” and himself he has a harder and harder time living the double life. But when someone is out to get his brother, even though he’s in Witness Protection, Chase worries that Sammi may get into the line of fire.

Sammi was kind of a contradiction. She was confident in many parts of her life and went after things she wanted, like the Art Deco house she lived in in Tulsa, but when it came to standing up to her boss about her treatment she backed away. Things for her were worse in her dating life as she’s given one date a black eye and another a cracked rib. She feels insecure about herself after dating a jerk of a guy she caught cheating on her and she hadn’t had worthwhile men before that. There is the idea of the behind closed doors people are different, but if she can do things like organize a protest about her house, couldn’t she be more confident in her dating life?

Chase was a good hero, though. While it’s not feasible to me that an FBI agent would be so open about his cases, especially if he mainly worked organized crime cases, he is a very good guy. Growing up with an abusive father, Chase basically raised his brother as well as becoming a reliable agent and someone loyal to all his friends. He’s got a very high standard of the type of woman that he wants to be with and no one so far has lived up to it. When Sammi fits his criteria plus much more he doesn’t know what to do about it since he’s lying to her so much.

While it took a bit too long for me to see Chase come clean, he at least is practical about it and knows he’s got to suffer the consequences to get Sammi to be with him. Sammi also overcomes many of her preconceptions about gun-toting law enforcement types really fast while still having her insecurities about herself, which didn’t really ring very true to her character.

Overall though it’s a cute read, especially with Sammi’s dog Joe, her sister Chloe, Chase’s partner Paul and his wife Melanie, the client Horace and his mother issues and the growth of Sammi’s boss Arlene Arnett and her landlord Walter Landry. This is a good beach or poolside read, or even a car trip read, as I read it in a morning in the car on a trip to Florida.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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HER LIFE COACH
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Museum curator Sammi Matthews isn’t just in a dating slump, she’s putting men on the injured list. After giving one date a black eye and cracking another’s rib, Sammi decides she needs professional help. Enter life coach Luke Jones, who advises Sammi on how to overcome her klutziness. And their phone sessions work! Sammi soon meets a sexy FBI agent who seems to know just what she needs.
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IS CHANGING HER LIFE
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When his brother Luke goes into federal protection, FBI Special Agent Chase Jones agrees to cover for him. Then Sammi’s hot voice sizzles down the line, and the usual “phone only” rule is out. With “Luke” coaching her by day, and Chase dating her by night, Sammi’s confidence soars, along with her appeal. Chase falls hard, but how will Sammi feel if and when he comes clean? Chase would rather she break all his bones than risk breaking her heart.
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IN WAYS SHE’S NEVER IMAGINED!
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Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Tempt the Devil by Anna Campbell
Historical romance released by Avon 30 Dec 08

One can always count on Anna Campbell to deliver an emotional story with a bit of a different view. Tempt the Devil is set in the same world as Claiming the Courtesan, but it’s not a sequel. Another notorious woman, another nobleman and another battle of wills between to very strong people. What comes out by the end is a different sort of story from Campbell, and an unexpected ride.

Olivia Raines is bored with all the men of London lusting after her. They’re all the same, and though she’s a courtesan and used to such things, she doesn’t find any interest anymore in coaxing jewelry out of men and finding young dandies worshiping the ground she walks on. A challenge comes for her last conquest in the form of Julian Southwood, Earl of Erith, a diplomat home for his daughter’s wedding.

Olivia knows what to do to keep a man lusting after her, but she is the one who has rules to follow and when Julian shows that he bows to no rules, Olivia does everything she can to push him away. Julian, though, has his own demons to fight and with Olivia he feels the first cracks in the armor around his heart in many, many years. Though he doesn’t like her rules, he gets past her defenses as well and discovers someone worth treasuring. But can Julian give up some things that he’s gained in coming back to England from abroad to be with Olivia forever?

The potential to be a great, heart-wrenching, emotional story is completely lost in everything else that is happening in this book. Olivia’s rules hide an abused and vulnerable woman, Julian’s actions hide a scared and lost young father who can’t cope with loss. Both act badly on a number of occasions, though not at the same time. The up and down of their actions to each other demonizes one, then the other, than back again and absurd tug of war.

Olivia’s past is horrifying, but it doesn’t justify the things she does to all men, not just Julian, nor does Julian’s past justify how he’s lived his life for the last 20 years and his treatment of women in the meantime. Throw into this Julian’s rocky relationship with his children, Olivia’s many secrets, the censure of London society, Olivia going from wanting him out of her life to demanding everything over a short amount of time and Julian always thinking he’s right and should be the center of the world and it just makes a mud puddle that they’re all struggling way to hard to get out of.

Neither Olivia or Julian are likable characters through much of the book because they are good, then do something bad, then sort of redeem themselves, then hurt someone else, then . . . it just gets to be too much. I suppose I can understand what Campbell was trying to do with these characters, but it comes across as a big mess of shattered expectations, shady actions and the idea that the past justifies your actions and you shouldn’t change.

Grade: D

Summary:

Any man in London would worship her. Yet Olivia is, quite frankly, bored of them all. Despite her many dalliances, she’s never felt true passion, never longed for any lover’s touch . . . until Julian, London’s most notoriously wanton rake, decided to make her his mistress.

From the moment he first saw her, Julian knew he must possess her. And when he discovers her greatest secret, a scandal that could ruin her reputation and end her career, he knows just the way to use this damaging information to his most delightful advantage. He offers Olivia a deal with the devil: he’ll keep her secret . . . if she allows him the chance to show her true ecstasy.

But Olivia must be careful, for Julian has a secret of his own: he will not rest until she is completely, shamelessly his.

Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of The Immortal Hunter (Argeneau Vampires, Book 11, or Rogue Hunters, Book 2) by Lynsay Sands
Paranormal romance released by Avon 31 Mar 09

I am a fan of Sands’ Argeneau or vampire (Immortals) series and will probably be for some time. This isn’t to say that some of the books are better than others, but there are many other stories to tell in this world. This is the second in a loose series following Council Enforcers, or rouge vampire hunters. Enforcers keep the peace in the community and when an immortal goes rogue, or starts hurting humans for a variety of dastardly purposes. The first book followed one of these hunters, and Immortal Hunter follows another, Decker (Argeneau) Pimms.

It’s hard to know where to start with this book. Most of the plot of this book, or at least the rogue hunter part, was introduced in the first book, The Rogue Hunter, in the prologue, and then never mentioned again. Probably not the best way to have things flow, but since it’s a loose series, letting it go is not a big deal. The action picks up right where Rogue Hunter left off, with Mortimer and his life-mate having to prove she won’t reveal all the immortal secrets as she’s decided not to be turned yet.

From some other events in Rogue Hunter that are revealed in this one, a rogue that has been on the run for 50 years is discovered and Decker and Mortimer’s partner Bricker are sent after him. The rogue, Nicholas Argeneau, is on the hunt of some other rogues who kidnap women and. . . let’s just say it’s not pretty. While trying to free two new victims of the rogues, as well as take them into custody, Nicholas disappears, as one of the rogues has escaped with one of the victims.

And the chase begins. The story takes place over about 48 hours, and it’s pretty fast paced. Decker and Bricker chase Nicholas and the rogues, as well as try to convince Dr. Danielle McGill, whose sister was taken by the one rogue, that they will get their man and her sister back alive. Danielle also has to cope with the fact that she’s been told she’s Decker’s life-mate and what that could mean for her own future.

Since the action takes place over about 48 hours, there’s a lot of things that are rather heavy handed, like Danielle’s being told about the immortals, being Decker’s life-mate, and some of her actions in trying to get her sister back. It’s not as though she’s TSTL and I’m sure many people would behave the same way in the same situation, but she comes across as a bit flighty rather than a strong woman. Decker is a bit the same way, as he does lie to Danielle a bit to hide the facts about his life, which of course most people don’t know, and seems to not know how to talk to her very well.

There’s also a big back and forth in the character’s actions in seeking the rogue and Danielle’s sister, as well as trying to find Nicholas Argeneau. Danielle, obviously overwhelmed by the whole thing, isn’t really thinking all that straight, what with her sister missing, the life-mate thing, but she does roll in the hay with Decker rather quickly (and literally) and buys into the immortal world and lifestyle much faster than quite a few of the previous newbies.

The other thing is the introduction of a new group in the vampire world, the edentata, which just seemed like a convenient plot device to add to the craziness of the rogues and their plan for. . .whatever they think they need to accomplish. Everything added together makes a big jumbled mess and there’s not an easy way to not be confused by the lighter moments mixed in with the darker moments that get mixed into the chasing down the rogues story. I don’t even know what grade to give this book. What comes out of it though, is perhaps a hope that Nicholas’ story, the next book, will be a bit less of a muddle and maybe explain things a little more.

Grade: C- D+ D ????

Read more info and reviews of this series by following its tag.

Summary:
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Even vampires need a vacation. But Decker Argeneau’s ends abruptly when he’s asked to help hunt the group of rogue vampires targeting mortals — one that might include a defector in his own family. Before he can worry about that, though, he’s got to rescue the latest victim. It’s all part of the job, including taking a bullet for a beautiful doctor.
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Dr. Danielle McGill doesn’t know if she can trust the man who just saved her life. There are too many questions, such as what is the secret organization he says he’s part of, and why do his wounds hardly bleed? However, with her sister in the hands of some dangerous men, she doesn’t have much choice but to trust him.
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Except now Decker’s talking about life mates and awakening a passion that’s taking Dani beyond anything she’s ever known. Being undead may not be half-bad…especially if it means spending forever with a man who would love her with his mind, body, and immortal soul.
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Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Other books in the series:

Lawson’s review of To Beguile a Beast (Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 3) by Elizabeth Hoyt
Historical romance released by Grand Central 19 May 09

This is the third book in Hoyt’s Legend of the Four Soldiers series, about survivors of a massacre during the Seven Year’s War (that would be the French and Indian War to the Americans). The first book followed a colonist acting as a scout, the second followed one of the officers, and this one follows a civilian botanist attached to the unit. All of the survivors have scars from the massacre, but Sir Alistair Munroe has the most physical scars (hence the Beast in the title). A common story that ties all the books together is the search for a possible traitor that betrayed the unit to the French and the Indians that perpetrated the massacre.

The book starts off in Scotland with Helen Fitzwilliam and her children coming to a castle in the middle of a storm. When Sir Alistair sees a woman and two children on his doorstep he attempts to send them away since he doesn’t often inspire good first impressions from people due to his scars. Nor does he want more people around that will intrude on his solitude and possibly disturb his work. Having given up on society, Sir Alistair instead has devoted his time to cataloging the different species in the British Isles.

Helen hopes that the castle is remote enough that her former lover won’t find her and her children. Though Sir Alistair is gruff at first, Helen stands her ground and makes a deal for her children and her to stay. Though she’s had a pampered life, Helen takes to the task of being Sir Alistair’s housekeeper with determination and starts the tough task of cleaning the messy castle as well as reorganizing his life to accommodate having more people around on a daily basis.

When Helen’s past finds her hiding place and puts her as well as her children in danger, Alistair must face society which tends to run screaming at the sight of his scars. Helen also has to face what is truly important in her life and how much she can let her past make her future.

Sir Alistair has become all too used to people’s reactions to his appearance, which is why he hides in his castle, even from his own sister. He never thinks that a woman as beautiful as Helen would want to be with him and the way she slowly shows him her attraction to him and gets past his fears due to his appearance are sweet and sexy. With Helen managing his household, Alistair is able to work and feel contented and happy with his life. Especially with her children.

Helen chose her path in life and while she doesn’t regret that it gave her two children, she does miss some things. That she has to do things she never thought she would as a housekeeper, she feels rewarded caring for a home, her children and very quickly Alistair. With her experience in life she’s a bit hesitant to give in to her feelings for Alistair, but because she opens her heart it allows him to open his.

As with other Hoyt books, there is a fairy tale, though it does have a bit of a twist that fits with the story rather well. The interesting thing in this story is the addition, at times, of the point of view of the children as well as the villain of the story. The resolution with the villain is interesting and creative and though it works with the story, it’s hard to see someone such as he not thinking in the long term and while satisfying, went a bit against the coldness of the character.

A good, sweet, touching and quite sexy beauty and the beast story and an interesting way to take the traitor plot line that runs through the books of the series, which sets up an interesting possibility for the next installment in this series. The next book comes out in November, and it’s one that I’ll keep a lookout for.

Grade: B

Summary:
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CAN A WOUNDED BEAST . . .
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Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he’s kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.
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TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST . . .
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Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle . . . and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and she won’t let dust-or a beast of a man-scare her away.
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TO TAME HIS MOST SECRET DESIRES?
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Beneath Helen’s beautiful façade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn’t back away from his surliness-or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen’s secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find–a happy ever after.
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Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Lawson’s review of A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore
Historical romance released by Forever 1 Jun 09

I remember reading a story a bit like this one a long time ago. The name of the book and the author have escaped my memory, but I remember that it centered around a man who had been involved in the Napoleonic wars and was coming home. The twist was he had hit his head, had amnesia and it was years later and he had been given up for dead. There is that same storyline in Haymore’s story, but there’s so much more. This story also includes a love triangle and of course a choice that has to be made.

Garrett James and his cousin Tristan James have always been in love with Sophie. The three of them grew up together and since Garrett was older, Tristan walked away from his love for Sophie and married another woman. Tragedy befalls the friends, however, when Garrett goes to Waterloo with his unit and he doesn’t return. Eight years later he has been declared dead and Tristan and Sophie are now married. Tristan, being Garrett’s heir, has assumed his title, Duke of Calton, and both have gone on with their life without Garrett.

When Garrett suddenly returns there are a number of legal questions surrounding who Sophie is married to and both men want to fight to keep her. Things don’t go smoothly for there’s a horrible scandal, not only with Garrett’s return and both men fighting to be Sophie’s husband, but there are rumors that Garrett is not the man he once was and Sophie’s being abused by Garrett. Not only must Sophie now choose which man will have her heart but also she must protect her family from those out to destroy everything she holds dear.

Sophie is a beautiful heroine, inside and out. She doesn’t want to make a choice between her two friends and husbands and she’s always been the peacemaker. She wants the decision be something that everyone can live with and have no animosity between the three of them. While Garrett was gone Sophie had to become a strong, independent woman, which Tristan helped her with and their friendship blossomed into love while Garrett was gone. When Garrett returns he’s been mentally, emotionally and physically scarred by the war and she senses that he has changed as well and perhaps he’s not the man she remembers.

Tristan is a caring, intelligent man. Though he couldn’t have Sophie, he married another woman who gave him a child, but she died in childbirth and Tristan, though sad, knew he could make Sophie his. He’s an alpha male, but more of the strong, quiet type, being subtle in what he does and running things smoothly from behind the scenes. When Garrett appears suddenly he’s very angry that Sophie is being taken away from him, but he never stoops to the level of using the rumors about Garrett’s behavior and mental state for his own gain.

Garrett is another type of alpha. He’s a tall, broad man who is used to grabbing what he wants and taking it. When his memory returns and he returns to England to be the duke again, he feels betrayed by both his wife who is now married to his best friend, and his best friend who took everything his life was. Garrett is a bit of a bully because he doesn’t remember how to behave as the duke and is confused by his new life. Everything has changed in his absence and he doesn’t know how to handle anything.

These three points of view throughout the story tell of how people grow and change throughout their lives and the choices aren’t always the easiest and can hurt people. One must make those choices though, or else no one would get on with their life after tragedy. The interactions between the three of them are also real, emotional and show that someday they could all be close again, even after Sophie’s choice (hah, yep, Sophie makes a choice!).

The villain of this book is also one of the scariest I’ve read in awhile as he’s devious, sly, and his machinations are so subtle and mean that he fools so many people for so long and eventually. . .well I can’t say more, or it’ll be spoiled. Needless to say that his plans play into the emotion of the rest of the story. The only thing that I didn’t like was the gullibility of Garrett when it came to the villain and his unwillingness to trust the people from his past. However, given his trauma with the war and shock when he comes home to see his wife and best friend and his confusion from loosing his memory, it is understandable that he’d be in a state where he misplaces his trust.

There are some really good risks that Haymore takes with the characters and it all pays off in the end and makes for a great book. If you haven’t read it yet, you need to go and get this book ASAP. And Haymore’s next historical will be about the man that Sophie doesn’t choose, so I’m going to be waiting for that one.

Grade: A-

CAUGHT BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE…

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his best friend and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul…until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.

TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS…

Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no matter what, her choice will destroy one of the men she adores. Will it be Garrett, her childhood sweetheart, whose loss nearly destroyed her once already? Or will it be Tristan, beloved friend turned lover, who supported her through the last, dark years and introduced her to a passion she had never known? As her two husbands battle for her heart, Sophie finds herself immersed in a dangerous game-where the stakes are not only love…but life and death.

Read an excerpt

Lawson’s review of Revealed by Kate Noble
Historical romance released by Berkley Sensation 3 Mar 09

Kate Noble, in her second book, goes for a bit more intrigue and some derring-do with a story about a former spy in the fight against Napoleon and the Queen of Society.  I do have to mention that after reading Lynne Connolly’s post about class in historical romance, perhaps my view of this book has changed a bit, but it is a lively tale that keeps one turning the pages.

Mrs. Phillipa Benning is the nearly unrivaled leader of polite society in London. Her one rival is Lady Jane Cummings, though no one really knows why the two women don’t like each other. Phillipa, wanting to have all of society at her feet, wants to of course score the proposal of the season from the Marquis of Broughton. To gain his attention, she agrees to meet him in secret in a library at a ball where a romantic rendezvous is implied, though not promised.

Instead Phillippa stumbles upon another secret meeting between the head of the Home Office and one of his operatives, Marcus Worth. When the name, the Blue Raven is brought up in the conversation, Phillippa decides she is going to unmask the Blue Raven at what will then become the event of the season, the Benning Ball, which also happens to be one of the last major events of the season. She ends up gaining the cooperation of Marcus Worth in her plans with some help of her own in getting invitations to other major society events.

Marcus needs the invitations because he has suspicions of a plot made by an old enemy from the war to attack various society events. The purpose of the attacks is not known, nor has the villain shown his face, but Marcus has instincts that haven’t let him down and he knows he has to do something. As he works with Philippa he begins to worry for her safety, for as she proves valuable in finding the rival spy, she is also putting herself in danger and Marcus has realized he doesn’t want her hurt, for any reason, because of him. Nor does he want to let her go.

Phillippa is a character that is pretty much what she appears to be on the surface. She has a bit of a stand-offish demeanor from having most people in her life disappoint her or never pay over much attention to her, like her deceased husband and her mother. As such, she does what she likes and is not thought of less before it because she’s very wealthy and very intelligent. She hides her true smarts from society, but then she wouldn’t be the head of the fashionable world without using her intelligence to get her to her current position.

Marcus is happy with being on the fringes of society. When he’s forced to get invitations and become seen about town he does it with good humor and is able to see beyond Phillippa’s public image to her caring nature underneath. He’s very protective of her, as he sees Broughton as a popinjay and not good enough for her (which he is of course). What Marcus doesn’t like is being nearly on display for society, which he inevitably is when he’s on Phillippa’s arm. Marcus is used to working behind the scenes and not out for all the world to see.

While it is believable that these to characters could end up together, Phillippa never seems to grow past some of her selfishness and overconfidence in her abilities to get what she wants. She’s rather cruel at times to some secondary characters as she thinks that is befitting her position as a leader in society. That Marcus can break through that to get to her vulnerabilities underneath shows that she’s not (for lack of a better word) a bitch, she still holds herself a bit apart from others around her.

The spy storyline trying to sabotage events in society in the end didn’t come out to be wholly plausible, but it did provide the necessary elements to get the plot moving to the point of a sort of climax that forces the two characters to come together in the end. The story was well written enough to keep my interest, but this book wasn’t as good as Noble’s first, Compromised.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Phillippa Benning is the unrivaled beauty of the Season. But when another lady challenges her for a marquis’s attentions, Phillippa entices him to a secret rendezvous—only to stumble upon The Blue Raven, England’s most famous spy, lurking at the site of her planned tryst.
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The Blue Raven has uncovered an enemy plot directed at upcoming society functions, but he’s unable to infiltrate London society. Phillippa makes an offer: in exchange for entrée among the ton, he agrees to have his true identity revealed at the Benning Ball—guaranteeing her unrivaled notoriety. As the danger draws closer, the mysterious spy and Phillippa give in to mutual desire. But when the game turns deadly, betrayal waits around the corner, and Phillippa must decide once and for all—is it the myth that captured her heart, or the man?
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Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Taken and Seduced by Julia Latham
Historical romance released by Avon 31 Mar 09

Time for another medieval romance from Julia Latham. This one again follows the story of a member of the League of the Blade, the society in Latham’s early Tudor England that protects the innocent and seeks justice for the wrongs of society. The League is the only thing that ties this book to Latham’s other three, as the characters here are new and possibly give a set up for another series following more of the knights and the ladies that come into their lives.

Adam Hilliard has been raised by the League, but feels their justice has not been extended to his family. He sets out on his own to kidnap the youngest daughter of the Marquess of Martindale, without letting the League know what he’s doing. Adam believes that the Marquess murdered his parents and wants to use his daughter, Lady Florence as leverage to be able to challenge him to combat and hopefully get the truth about his parents. Though he does his best to keep things in hand, Florrie provides a challenge, as she’s different than he expected.

Florrie hasn’t spent much time away from the secluded castle in Yorkshire. Her father kept her hidden and she behaved more as a servant to her family rather than a daughter of the house. Though afraid at first, she sees her kidnapping as a way to have an adventure with some new friends before she has to give up the small amount of freedom she has to go to a convent and completely cut off from the world and her family.

When Adam learns along the way how her father really feels about Florrie, he is more determined to face the man, especially when Florrie does everything she can to work her way into his heart. Florrie makes it her mission not only to have an adventure, but to find out the truth behind her kidnapping and why Adam is as driven, yet doesn’t seem to understand the odd way he behaves around her. When they reach London, both have a decision to make about their future and hope there is room for love.

What could be an interesting story is bogged down by Adam’s need for revenge, his singlemindedness until it’s almost too late, and the constant reminder that he was raised by the League of the Blade. When his parents died, the League took him and his brothers to a secluded castle and educated them in the ways of fighting, stealth and other things a Bladesmen would need to know. What they lost out on was dealing with living day to day in the real world. This, in the end, makes Adam a deadly, yet naive character and I felt there was much eye rolling on my part as I was reading his handling of certain situations.

Florrie is also naïve, but she comes off more in the way of a sheltered lady, rather than someone who is happy to be oblivious to the nature of life as Adam sometimes is. Due to a childhood injury, she’s left with a severe limp, but she’s coped well with it and has an optimistic outlook on life, though it’s definitely not a rosy outlook. She understands the nature of people and is willing to go with life as it happens, mostly because she’s been handed a harder life due to her injury and her father.

What starts to grate and give much eye rolling besides Adam is the constant repetition of Florrie’s destiny of entering a convent, Adam’s refusal to reveal anything of himself while he wants to know everything about Florrie, his constant need to be the protector, even over his brother Robert who is a man himself, Florrie thinking she can change Adam from his quest and Adam thinking that what he’s doing is justice and not revenge. That’s quite a list. Latham’s books, while entertaining, of course aren’t really historically accurate, but the characters in this one don’t really save it to being about average as the other three she’s written.

Grade: D+ C- (Florrie did save it, though Adam just needs to grow up quite a bit more)

Read more reviews of the related series by following the series’ tag.

Summary:
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Adam Hilliard, secret Earl of Keswick, lives for one thing: to kill the man who slew his parents. Raised in secrecy by the League of the Blade, he would do anything to restore his family’s honor.
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Lady Florence Becket is the key to his revenge. But when he kidnaps her, Florrie is neither frightened nor furious, as most other young ladies would be. The bold and powerful stranger who spirited her from her father’s castle could give her the freedom and adventure she craves.
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She is moved by his quest. He is captivated by her courage. They have no defense against the passion ignited by a single kiss. Adam has taken her from all she’s ever known–but now Florrie will delight in her scandalous seduction.
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Read an excerpt.

Lawson’s review of Secrets of the Knight (Bladesmen, Book 3) by Julia Latham
Historical romance released by Avon 26 Aug 08

As I think a few readers are bemoaning (maybe), there aren’t a lot of different settings in historicals. So when Julia Latham’s books come out, I usually snap them up because medieval aren’t found around much. I was a bit behind in reading this one, as I’ve been in a major funk and uh. . .disappeared from reviewing. As Syb says, bad, bad Lawson, and I would have to agree, as a search shows the review for One Knight Only, book two in this series, went up in November 2007. But to amend things and get down to some reviewing business…

The legendary League of the Blade sent Diana Winslow to Castle Bannaster to watch Viscount Bannaster. A cruel man, her assignment is to protect the women of the castle from his abusive actions. In protecting one of the servants, the viscount ends up dead. Diana flees in fear and has no other assignment from the League to keep her busy. She is instead banished to an estate in Yorkshire with her sister by their brother.

The problem arises six years later when the new Viscount Bannaster, Thomas, comes to hopefully pay court to the Winslow sisters. After receiving the title from his brother, he does some not so wise things to keep his life on track in the way he thinks it should go. These acts were present in the first two books of the series, Thrill of the Knight and One Knight Only.

Diana knows of the wicked deeds of the viscount, and fears he will recognize her from years before, so she instead kidnaps him and keeps him in the dungeon to protect herself and the dreams of her sister. But when he fails to arrive at the estate as planned Diana must do everything she can to keep him hidden and her culpability in the past and present to herself and get her life back to the way she’s used to.

This all, of course, goes awry when Thomas escapes and sets out to punish Diana with seduction.

It’s an interesting story, using the semi-villain from two books and making him the hero of this one. What made him work is 1) his history, 2) his explanations for his behavior and 3) his honesty about what he had done and not trying to dodge the fact that he deserved to suffer his consequences. Plus spending time in a dungeon gives him the idea that he did some time for his past crimes anyway. Since he was the second son and not expected to inherit, Thomas was destined for the church and when he does become the viscount, he does his best to be the warrior that’s expected of him, instead of the scholar and cleric he’s always trained to be.

Diana seemed to be a bit more a woman of her time, or at least a bit more of one compared to the other two heroines in the first two books. Her sister-in-law’s jealousy of Diana and her sister had them forced to a far flung estate and out of London, but Diana instead does her duty and manages the household as best she can. Her participation in the League of the Blade, limited though it is, doesn’t fit much with the historical times, but then I’m sure there were some girls, like Diana, who had indulgent (or neglectful) fathers and let them train to use some weapons.

As they fall in love, talk about their pasts and lives, these two wounded and rather guilty souls do find their happily ever after, and it’s nice to see a villain become a hero without giving up his bad boy nature too much. The siblings of Diana give ample kinks to the plot, even if they are one note characters doing what they will try to do best, throw those kinks in the works. Overall, it’s a good way to pass the time and gives two guilty people the chance to make amends and make their own happy endings.

Grade: C+

Read more reviews of this series by following its tag.

Summary:
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A knight never reveals her secrets…
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When young Diana Winslow arrived at Castle Bannaster, her beauty and bravery disguised beneath a servant’s dress, she had no idea her life would change forever. But now the cruel and lecherous Viscount Bannaster lies dead–and the novice Bladeswoman cannot escape her guilt. Nothing, not even fighting for the Crown, can erase her fears…especially when she comes face to face with Thomas, the viscount’s startlingly seductive brother.
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Desperate to keep him from discovering the truth, Diana attempts a daring abduction. But all her skills as a knight are no defense against the powerful, irresistible nobleman who has just become her prisoner. A man with a mystery of his own. A man who eyes her so hungrily, so wantonly, that he could tempt her to give up all her secrets for one wicked night in his arms…
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Read an excerpt.

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