Review: "England's Perfect Hero" by Suzanne Enoch

Book: England's Perfect Hero
Author: Suzanne Enoch
Release Date: 02/24/04

Excerpt:

Lucinda Barrett's best friends ended up married to the men to whom they delivered their 'lessons in love'. So Lucinda decides to choose someone who definitely needs lessons, but someone who will not complicate her life. And that person is definitely not Robert Carroway.

Robert is nothing if not complicated, and though he is the brother of a viscount, he rarely goes about society, and finds the weather and hat fashions ludicrous subjects for discussion. Robert is attracted to Lucinda's unpretentious ways, her serenity and her kindness. When she chooses someone for her love lessons, Robert offers to help her deliver her lessons, but sets out to convince the woman he has fallen for to take a chance on love ... and on him.

Review:
Funny, i've read this book tons of times, but have never written a review on it. First thing first i fell in love with Bit Carroway in "The Rake". I remember being ecstatic on finding out that he had his own book. I can safely say by the fact that i keep coming back and re-reading it that its one of my absolute favorite books of all time. Being that fact it is a bit hard for me to write a review on it.

The book reads the best when you read the whole "Lessons in Love" series in order. In a way the whole series has been a character development for Bit and Lucinda. You can see each of them growing in each book. This can be said of all the characters in trilogy, but especially true of these two.

Lucinda is the last of the trio to enact her lessons. She has no particular scoundrel in mind so she decides to find a man that she'll like to marry. After all, Evie and Georgie ended up marring their students. She chooses Mr. Geoffrey Newcombe. Handsome, the 4th son of a duke, and a war hero to boot. Simply perfect and safe. If not cheating a bit in terms of her lessons. Things would have gone smoothly if she hadn't stumbled upon Georgie's brother in law who had to ask about the lessons. Who "also" had to have those haunting blue eyes.

Bit has been quite the recluse the last three years. Think tortured and hurt hero and here's you man. (He's also mine if he ever decides to make himself solid and comes out of the book). He suffers from what is now known as Post dramatic stress syndrome and finds himself in a black panic whenever he gets out of his comfort zone. Yet he finds himself drawn to Lucinda. She's his ray of sunshine in his black world. Something that he can even admit to himself sounds stupid, but is true. Overhearing Lucinda talking with Evie and Georgie he can't help but be intrigued. When Lucinda brings him some roses to start a garden he offers to help Lucinda catch her suitor as a trade off. Anything to spend time with her.

The relationship between Bit and Lucinda is very heart warming. You can just tell from almost the get go that they're perfect for each other. They start off as amiable friends and work their way into love before either of them realize it. A perfect example of how love and bloom from friendship and not love/lust at first sight.

This is a brilliant book and one I HIGHLY recommend.

Final rating: 5 golden bunnies. Perfect in every way

Book review: Just Like Heaven (Smythe-Smith Quartet #1) by Julia Quinn

Book: Just Like Heaven (Smythe-Smith Quartet #1)
Author: Julia Quinn
Release Date: May 31st, 2011

Excerpt:


Honoria Smythe-Smith is:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child
C) not in love with her older brother's best friend
D) all of the above

Marcus Holroyd is:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) not in love with his best friend's younger sister
D) all of the above

Together they:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever and the world's worst musical performance
C) fall quite desperately in love

It's Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is ...
D) all of the above


Review: 


I would like to start off with that congratulations to the author for getting her groove back. Reading this book felt like reading the Bridgerton books of yester years. It was brilliantly witty and the romance was actually very believable.

Honoria Smythe-Smith and Marcus Holyroyd had known each other for years. Literally. Since Honoria was six to be exact. Therefore the last thing either of them expected was to fall in love with each other. Honoria was simply Marcus's best friend Daniel's little sister and Marcus was Daniel's best friend to Honoria. Then again the last thing either of them expected was for Daniel to have to leave the county, turn things on their ends, and for a home made "mole hole" to turn everything topy turvy. That is what happened though. So forth the lives to these two unlikely lovers got turned on their end and found that the other was more than a friend.

The relationship between Honoria and Marcus was very sweet and one that is entirely realistic. Something i found very refreshing. In a world where love (or lust) at first can be somewhat the norm having two characters with a long history was a nice change. It was something that was building up for a while and it took a twisted ankle and a near death experience for them both to realize their true feelings for each other.

Individually both of them were great as well. Marcus is not your typical hero. He is not described as particularly handsome, is shy and reserved, and doesn't seem to have a line of past lovers that reach the length of my arm. In fact there were no past lovers or mistresses even mentioned. It was merely implied that he wasn't a virgin. I felt myself connecting with him on so many accounts because of his shyness, lack of ability for small talk, and his dislike of being center stage. If there is one thing Julia does well is write heroes who don't always fit the bill. In this case she brought on a new favorite of mine. Long live the shy hero!!

Honoria was beautifully written as well. She wasn't described as drop dead gorgeous or have an amazing body to boot. She was perfectly average and normal whose favorite feature is her eyes. She is loyal to her family and friends. She isn't a shrinking violet, but neither is she the life of the party. She was refreshing normal. Another character that i found myself connecting with.

It's quite the rare instance when i find myself connecting with both hero and heroine in a book and thus this has to be one of my favorite romances in a long time. In fact it's what i would use as a reference for the type of romance i would like in my life (25 and hopelessly single here). The book is neither ground breaking, nor filled with action and adventure. It is one i would highly recommend nonetheless.

Final rating: 5 Bunnies. We have another absolute favorite to add to the list.

Review: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (re-read)

Book: The Duke and I
Author: Julia Quinn
Release date: Jan 1st, 2000 (a re-read for me)

Excerpt:
Can there be any greater challenge to London's Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
--- Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1813

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister, the lovely---and almost-on-the-shelf---Daphney Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth--it's all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her...but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke...for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love..


My Review:
Wow. What a difference a few years can make when reading a book. The first time i read "The Duke and I" i was 16 years old. I was young, innocent, and naive. I couldn't get enough of romance books.And i just adored every single Julia Quinn book i could get my hands on. Eleven years later, a grown single woman, i find myself still loving the book. Loved the book so much in fact that except for the first 20 pages i read it all in one afternoon/evening sitting. I haven't done that in a very very long time. Even with the most recent books i've jadored it's taken me 2-3 days to finish a book. I definitely think there is something to be said about the romances that were coming out in the early 2000's.

In this book, Julia introduces us to the famous "Bridgerton" family. One of the families I automatically connect in my mind with romance. Daphne is the eldest daughter of the family and after two seasons without a decent proposal is starting to lose hope. That doesn't deter her mother, Violet, from trying though. And so she is introduced to bachelor after bachelor. Every ball and party. Daphne knows the truth of things though. She is the "girl next store". The girl every man likes to chat with, but doesn't see as marriageable match. The ones that do she's rather didn't. Then she meets her brother Anthony's old friend and all that changes....

Simon is your typical hero in many ways. He's a Duke. Rich. Tall, dark, and handsome. And he has some issues. Big daddy ones and a surprisely stammering/stuttering problem that he's dealt with all his life. His goal on returning to England was to avoid society as much as possible. After all. He had no plans to marry or have children so why should he become involved. Yet society doesn't feel the same way about him and of course he gets tangled into it. At an event hosted by Lady Dansbury, Simon finds himself in a position that was more than he bargained for. He was quite happy to help out his friend Anthony's sister; he was not happy about becoming the newest catch to hit the ton. So he makes a bargain with Daphne. They'll pretend to form a attachment so that she may attract more men and he attract less women. If only Simon didn't start wishing the attachment wasn't fake...

On the topic of the two main characters i loved Simon. I've had to deal with speech issues all my life and found myself commiserating with him a lot. It was nice to have a character voice the issues that those of use who have trouble with certain sounds and words go through. It was far easier for me to connect with him than Daphne. Daphne on the other hand had some moments where i found myself wanting to hit her. The most being when she had sex with him when he was drunk because she wanted his sperm. I did not mistype that. Now that really didn't bother me when i was younger, but looking at it now i does bother me some. It was cruel of her to do so and in a way a bit violating. Yet the issue was never discussed in great length. It was merely shoved under the rug later when Simon basically says, not in these words, he could have stopped her if he wanted to. Something i'm not entirely sure of. If the character was fine with it i'll let it be since it wasn't rape and he doesn't entirely doing "it" against his will.

Together, Daphne and Simon work out quite well. They bounced right off of each other and could roll with things. Mostly.

Before i end this i should probably mention this story was the first appearance of Lady Whistledown. A brilliant creation of Julia's especially when you look at the whole series at once.

Final rating. 4 1/2. I only had one issue with the book and it was what i discussed above.

Review: "Heiress in Love" by Christina Brooke

Book: Heiress in Love (Ministry of Marriage book 1)
Author: Christina Brooke
Release Date: June 28, 2011

During the course of reading this book i found the title unfitting of the story. I do believe "Pride and Prejudice: The hero is not Mr. Darcy, nor is the heroine Lizzie; but they share some similarities and it's rather fitting of a title". Too Long. How about this " Trust and the Regency Romance". No. Sounds too much like a non-fiction title. How about "To trust a rake and other stuff". Shorten it down to "To Trust a Rake" and i think we found a winner. Because truthfully the heroine was actually a widow and was really in lust most of the time. Love came later. Like in chocolate you lust for it and then love it.

See i'm on the fence on this one. I neither dislike it, nor am i over the moon for it. I'm stuck quite firmly in the middle. Some background information. Jane, Lady Roxdale, has just been widowed. Worse yet her husband kicked the bucket in the middle of "entertaining a lady friend". To save face Jane pretends it was her, but still. Her husband just died in bed in the middle of sex and everyone knows it. How humiliating. To make matters even worse seeing as no heir was produced everything is set to go to the next in line for the title.Her husbands cousin Constantine Black who is as big of a blackguard as his name is (as if that analogy hasn't been used before). The only thing Jane can hope is that the man allows her enough time to get hers, and Luke's (her dead husbands 6 year old ward) things in order to leave. The one thing she didn't expect was for her ex to screw up her life anymore than he already had, nor did she expect Constantine to as handsome as he was.

Constantine Black: Rouge, scoundrel, society pariah, and misunderstood & wrongfully accused hero. He's just like every other Black Night ever to live. Muscled, handsome, with the sex drive of a bunny rabbit to boot. The last thing he ever expected was for his dead cousins widow to be so appealing. The very very last thing he expected was for his idiot cousin to leave him the land and the money to his wife. So it stands he hand the property, but not the funds to keep it. The only thing to do is to marry chit. If only she wouldn't look at like she wanted to ravish him all the while impaling him in the heart with sewing needle at the same time.

As i said earlier i'm in the middle with this book. It may be me, but i don't find the whole lust then love thing exciting. Rather boring actually. My favorite parts of this book was when the hero and heroine wasn't trying to undress each other with their eyes or literally. I actually would have enjoyed more of those parts. I will also say i thoroughly enjoyed every scene that Lady Arden and the Duke of Monford appears. I want them to have their own book!! It would be interesting to see read their story seeing as to their background.

As to the hero and heroine individually... i'm in the middle with them as well. They seemed interesting at first, but after awhile i started wishing for the book to end. It just went on and on and i'm like just get one with it already. Oh look a Robin! I feel like i'm getting sun burnt on my back (I was reading it outside). As you can read my mind started to wonder towards the end. Not a good thing.

Also note. This author does not write a very good "tortured hero". A mildly irritated one, but not tortured. The heroine was a bit of a haughty prick sometimes as well.....

All in all and ok book. I do want to read the next on though. It seems to hold more promise. The brief glimpse of the hero for it we had in this book was also quite entertaining as well.

Final rating: 3 Bunnies. Good premises, but it feel short of many accounts.

A Countess by Christmas (Harlequin Historical) by Annie Burrows

Book: A Countess by Christmas (Harlequin Historical) by Annie Burrows
Release date: 12/1/2010

Excerpt:
The Earl of Bridgemere is happy to encourage his reputation as a curmudgeonly recluse if it repels the grasping females who usually attend his lavish Christmas parties.

Helen Forrest is like a breath of fresh air, uninterested in his wealth and not cowed by his temper.

Bridgemere's seasonal duty suddenly becomes a pleasure as he sets about making Helen his countess—by Christmas!

Review:
It's a review! Miraculous lately i know. I just been busy at work since half of the staff was gone for the holidays.

Anyways this is a little late for Christmas, but i've had it finished for a few days. I just haven't been able to sit down and type up the review. Anyways first thing first I was really really excited about the book. The blup on the back made the Earl of Bridgemere sounds like my type of tortured hero. May this be a lesson not to trust all of Harlequin's blurp. The earl was a cookie cut out tortured hero. Complete with dead wife dying with another man's baby. (I really wish i could type the earl's name here, but i can't remember it. He's that unrememberable. Plus looking through the book i can't even find it). Helen, the heroine, is not one to caw about either. If the earl was the cookie cutter than she was the cookie. Poor orphan girl was raised by woman distantly related to her and later has to take a future job as a governess because they lose all their money. She was in the words of Snoopy "Blahhhh". The ending was unremarkable and the the actually pacing of the story was confusing at times. The author would just suddenly change POV in the middle of a paragraph/chapter without any bridge between the pov changes. I sometimes wondered whose thoughts i was reading.

Anyways i got bored with this one and am feeling generous by giving it three bunnies here.

Holiday reading challenge entry #1: Snow Night with a Stranger anthology

I live to write another review. Even though it's been so long since i last wrote one. Mainly because i've been working odd and long hours at work. I then come home too exhausted to do anything. Anyways.....

A Holiday Gamble by Jane Feather.

This was my favorite story out of the anthology. It even beat out the tortured hero one. ^^ The story basically is that Ned Vasey is returning home from India for the first time in ten years. His brother unexpectedly died leaving without an heir making him Viscount Allenton. One the way to his former and new home he gets stuck in a blizzard and finds himself at Roger Selby's place. There he meets Lady Georgiana Carey and soon the story begins.

With all anthologies the author only has a limited amount of pages to tell the story so it's not uncommon for the hero and heroine to get together after only knowing each other for a few days. Therefore my usual nick pick of that had to be overlooked. Jane Feather did the best though. You could really feel the buzz between Ned and Georgiana. Neither were particularly looking for romance, but found it. In face Georgiana was on the way of helping herself. She had already devised a plan to escape her greedy cousin and her forced upon fiancée. Ned merely helped her along. So in a way they feel in love helping each other. The only thing i can complain about was that i wanted to here/see Georgiana's cousin and former fiancée reaction to their marriage. Other than that i give the story 5/5 stars.



When Sparks Fly by Sabrina Jefferies

This was my least favorite of the anthology. Mainly because it was so expected of what you think a Christmas story would be. The maiden and her family gets stuck at the old Scrooge's house. She and the children start to bring joy to his life. Girl and Scrooge fall in love. Girl's father "saves" her from the man. The man whom has had a change of heart follows the girl. The funny thing about it is that the author even wrote Charles Dickens as a child in the story which upped the corny level. Definitely a disappointment. 3/5 stars


Snowy Night with a Highland by Julia London

This one was middle of the pack. Strange enough since it contained a tortured hero. One that i normally would have died over. The thing was that it felt like I was missing something. Like 100 pages out of a book. In face up to chapter 10 would have been a brilliant beginning of the book. I really adored reading it. It just felt extremely rushed after that. I almost wished that Julia had scrapped this one as a short story and moved it over to her "long story" pile. It would have been brilliant then. It had all the makings of a good long story. A girl who doesn't recognized the scared man as the one whom humiliated her earlier in life. A missing brother whose in trouble with the law. The girl has her own home in Scotland.... Oh there were so many possibilities.... In stead of the pitiful ending we got. 4/5 stars.

Final ratings: 4 1/2 Bunnies. I enjoyed the characters, plots were generally good, and the sex wasn't that risky.

Give me a Texas Ranger Anthology review

 

Book: Give me a Texas Ranger Anthology

Author(s): Jodi Thomas, Linda Broday, Phylliss Miranda, & DeWanna Pace
Release date:  July 1, 2010

(Back Excerpt) Born to protect and serve, these rugged lawmen are the stuff of Texas Legend. New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas teams up with Linda Broday, Phylliss Miranda, and DeWanna Pace to bring you four red-blooded Rangers and the women who tamed their hearts…..


“The Ranger’s Angel” by Jodi Thomas

         Outlaws, stagecoach chases, and Texas rangers, oh my! This pretty much sums up Annalane Barkley’s day. One moment she was on her way to Camp Supply to meet her brother. and the next she’s holed up inside a stag coach station with outlaws ready to pick her off if she steps outside. It doesn’t help that every man inside the station keeps giving her unnerving glances. Therefore, when Texas Ranger Wynn McCord offers her the chance to get out and away, Annalane hardly even thinks of saying no. Little does Annalane know that she may be in just as much danger with this ranger as she was with the outlaws.
Wynn McCord has a mission. He is to deliver a highly important letter to the Quaker who serves as the Indian agent in the area. This letter may stop the fighting between the Indians and the settlers, so Wynn refuses to fail. He just didn’t plan on thestage coach getting chased by outlaws or on meeting the enchanting Annalane Barkley. Quick decision-making leads Wynn to asking Annalane to escape with him and to his pleasure, she agrees. Now the two of them just have to make it to Camp Supply before the outlaws or something else catches up with them.

          I’m going to state it up front I loved the heroine but disliked the hero. Wynn comes across as an ass. During a scene when Annalane is passed out and asleep Wynn decides to take certain liberties by kissing her and feeling her up. A little while later while Annalane is sleeping again he contemplates having sex with her passed out form. He later decides against it because he shouldn’t force himself sexually upon her when she is exhausted and sleeping “the first time”. Insinuating that perhaps after they’ve had sex once it would be alright to have sex with her against her wishes while she is passed out or sleeping. After reading his sentence I wanted to see him get shot by the outlaws, or possibly by Annalane herself. I loved Annalane because she knew Wynn had wronged her and was contemplating how to kill him. Her dialogue is so brilliant when she’s thinking of everything she’d like to do to him for forcing himself upon her. Needless to say, Wynn doesn’t change much in the story. I really don’t see how Annalane and Wynn got together and stayed together. It was one of those instances when I read the romance but didn’t feel it.

Final Rating: 2 bunnies

Undertaking Texas by Linda Broday

       Texanna Wilder needs a hero and she doesn’t care who it is. Marcus LaRoach has been after her and her property ever since her husband, Sam, was killed. Now LaRoach has it in his head that he can just hog-tie her all the way to the church. When it appears that no one around town cares enough to save her, out steps Texas Ranger Stoney Burke.

     The last thing Texas Ranger Stoney Burke expected to see when he approached the mob was a woman being dragged like an animal down the street. He certainly didn’t expect the woman to be his best friend’s widow. Texanna has always been the girl for Stoney, but he lost her when he wouldn’t leave the Texas Rangers and settle down. Now it appears that Texanna has reared herself right back into his life, and she’s taking his heart hostage yet again.

       I really liked this short story. Linda Broday brings together two former flames in an event that probably did happen in the Old West. This event, of course, is someone trying to steal a widow’s livelihood. In Texanna’s case, this is a barbershop and undertaking business. Texanna, her son Josh, and Stoney were very endearing characters and for such a short story surprisingly well-rounded. I enjoyed reading Texanna’s and Stoney’s relationship and was glad things worked out well in the end for all. My only complaint was that the story was too short. I really wish Linda had made it into a full novel instead of a short story. I think then things that were rushed could have been paced out better. All in all it was rather good and one of my favorite short western romances I’ve read in awhile.

Rating: 4
 

One Woman, One Ranger by Phyliss Miranda


Ella Stevenson refuses to be forced into marrying someone she doesn’t want to. Therefore, as proprietress of the “Molly Lou’s,” she feels it’s her duty to protect her girls from being forced into a marriage they don’t want. And that’s a possibility, because the justice of peace has decided he’d like to earn a buck by forcing everyone in town who isn’t legally married in the state of Texas to marry. Unfortunately a spat with the local sheriff has led Ella down the very road she’s been protesting. She either marries her so-called “husband,” Ranger Hayden McGraw, or she’ll be sent to the gallows. Right now, Ella isn’t sure what would be worse.
The only thing Hayden McGraw was planning to do in Buffalo Springs, Texas was get the new “warrant to arrest” papers that were being sent to “Molly Lou’s.” He didn’t expect to get hog-tied into a spat between the sheriff and pretty Ella Stevenson. He especially didn’t plan on having to marry her to save her from the gallows. Unfortunately, that’s what he gets.

I’m afraid this story bored me. It wasn’t bad, per se, but it wasn’t good, either. The whole story just fell flat. Hayden and Ella were both cookie-cutter characters, Mary Sue and Gary Stu respectively. They said nothing and did nothing interesting. During the scene where the sheriff is trying to arrest Ellie she starts making some protests that doesn’t even make sense. She goes on saying her place isn’t tardy, that nothing illegal goes down, and that there is no reason for her to girls to be married. This left me confuses since the sheriff didn’t mention any of those things. He was arresting her for hitting him and causing a public scene. It had nothing to do with her establishment. There was also the puzzle of why the sheriff was threatening her so much. It didn’t make sense at the time. Later we find out the sheriff was only threatening to her so he could arrest her and search her premises for her barkeeper’s moonshining factory, something that was right under her nose. The fact that she didn’t see it made her seem a bit slow. I have no comment on the relationship except that it was a typical Mary Sue/Gary Stu one. The end.

Rating: 3 bunnies

The Perfect Match by DeWanna Pace.

   Ding Ding Ding. The match between Laney O’Grady and Texas Ranger Thomas Longbow has begun. In her corner, Laney O’Grady is battling to earn money to adopt her stepson back from his menacing uncle. She’s also working to prove to the court that she would be a suitable parent and can provide for the boy. The possible weakness in her strategy is the particularly handsome Texas Ranger who has taken her heart.
In his corner, Thomas Longbow is attempting to stop an illegal boxing match between Irishman Pete Meher and his rival Bob Fitzsimmons. This is easier said than done since it appears that everyone, other than the politician’s who hired him, is doing everything in their power to keep this fight on; everyone including the widowed Laney O’Grady. Some type of transaction has transpired between Laney and Me, Meher, and Thomas is determined to find out what it was. That is if Laney doesn’t deliver any knockouts to his heart and soul in the process.

   If “Undertaking Texas” was the best of the anthology, then this one came in second. It was also be the cutest. I found Thomas and Laney’s relationship to be charming, although we really didn’t get a lot of them to expand on something that could have been better. This is another instance where I wish the author had made the short story into a full length novel. There were so many new and interesting ideas being brought up due to the fact that the story is set four years before the turn of the century. Things such as “nickelodeons” and early cinemas and the reaction to trains making travel by horse travel becoming obsolete were just some of the developments the author brought up in the story. It made me want to read more about the reactions of those who lived at the turn of the century. That nitpick aside, Thomas and Laney’s story was an interesting one filled with some mystery and intrigue that left me quite satisfied when I finished the story.

Rating: 3 1/2 Bunnies

"The Education of Bet" reviewed

Book: The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Release Date: July 12, 2010  

Excerpt: 
Bet is sixteen, very intelligent, but only knows as much as her limited education will allow. In Victorian England, girls aren't allowed to go to school. 
Will is also 16, and though not related by blood, he and Bet act like brother and sister. In fact, they even look like brother and sister. And though they're both raised under the same roof, by the same kind uncle, Will has one big advantage over Bet: He's a boy, and being a boy means he isn't stuck in the grand house they call home. He gets to go out into the world--to school. 
But that's not what Will wishes. He wants to join the military and learn about real life, not what's written in books. 
So one night, Bet comes up with a plan. She'll go to school as Will. Will can join the military. And though it seems impossible, they actually manage to pull it off. 
But once Bet gets to the school, she begins to realize the education she's going to get isn't exactly the one she was expecting

Review:
It's a book review! Ya! I finally have a review i can post on here after seemingly so long. Anyways.... I love a good gender bender and "The Education of Bet" certainly delivers. The book is set in an undisclosed period of time in the 1800's. My guess is sometime in the very late 870-1890's. I believe this because Bet mentions Dickens whom wrote the majority in the 1850-60's before dying in 1870. Also the fact that Bet's only complaint in dress is a corset. Therefore it's obvious the book is set after the hoop skirt trend of the 1860's. Trains haven't made itself to be known yet therefore i don't place it anytime in the late 1890's. But i'm getting off of the point here.  The book centers around Bet and, as the excerpt clearly states, her adventures in an all male school parading as Will.  The book is rather short at 186 pages and thus you really don't get info into her daily life or happenings at the Betterman's academy.  The shortness of the whole thing is really my chief complaint. I really enjoyed reading the story and didn't want it to stop. It was like letting someone have a bite of chocolate cake and then whipping the rest out of their hands. I wanted to read more about Bet's adventures as Will and her attempts to keep her feelings about James secret. I also wanted to see more interaction between Bet, Mrs. Hunter, and Mrs. Smither's. The whole issue of women's rights was at the authors door step and the only she did was jump on it once, ring the door bell, and then run away.  As my endless complaining clearly states i thought the book too short (Yep we've seen that tree before in this review).

Final rating: 4 1/2 bunnies. Great writing that left me wanting more. Unfortunately, the author didn't deliver the  pizza or nummies as the buns would say.

"A Kiss at Midnight" by Eloisa James Review

A Kiss at Midnight by Eliosa James
Release date: Aug 1, 2010.

Excerpt:

Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancÉe, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

Review:
This is the second book of Eloisa's I read and it didn't disappoint. In this book Eloisa recreates the fairytale of Cinderella with a more realistic flare. Kate aka the Cinderella is not that destitute. The evil stepsister isn't evil; just air headed and a lose woman. The evil stepmother actually a past whore. The fairy godmother isn't magical. The Prince has no kingdom. And the helpful creatures are three overly spoiled Maltese. 

In all things considering it's amazing Kate ever landed the prince at all in this story. In fact rather than try to keep Kate away from Prince Gabriel the stepmother practically delivers her to his doorstep with ambiance. This is because Victoria, the stepsister, gets herself pregnant. In order to be able to marry her, her fiancée has to get the approval of his uncle aka Gabriel. Lucky for all parties the prince is holding his betrothal ball and Victoria and Algie are invited. Thus the stepmother has Kate pretend to be Victoria for the event so that no-one will see that she got pregnant out of wedlock. So as you can see Kate had everything going against her. No magic or love was to be expected. It's her own luck that everyone see's through her disguise and Gabriel is intrigued. 

My personal opinion of the book was that if it wasn't the godmother Henry it would have fallen quite flat. Kate and Gabriel really didn't have that many dimensions to them. It would have been Gilmore Girls minus Lorelei and the town people. Rory isn't too terribly interesting on her own and needed Lorelei and the extra characters. Thus was the same with the book. Henry was brilliantly funny and helped push Kate to do things she would have never done. She was also the one to set her straight at times. Gabriel also needed Wick and the rest of his crazy relatives to keep him going. Otherwise i believe he would have ravished Kate or headed to a archeological dig leaving her in the dust. Probably both in that order. 

I do like Eloisa's writing style though. I'm not a big fan of too many sex scenes and so was appreciative of the fact that they were to the bare minimum. 

So final rating: 4 Bunnies. Good story, plot, and characters. The thing was that the main characters were weak at times.   

 

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt review

The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
Release date: Nov, 1 2006

Excerpt:
There comes a time in a woman's life when she must do the unthinkable - and find employment. For the widowed Anna Wren, that means taking a job as female secretary for the Earl of Swartingham. Secretaries are always male - never female - as Anna well knows but the real downfall of her career is the realization that she is falling in love with Edward de Raaf - the Earl. But when she realizes that he is going to visit a brothel in London to take care of his 'manly' desires, Anna sees red - and decides to take advantage of the opportunity to also take care of her 'womanly' desires - with the Earl as her unknowing lover. But the Earl has another reason for going to London. He is formalising his betrothal and trying (with little success) to forget about a secretary that has no right being female. Unhandsome, he knows that no woman wants him. Except for the mysterious lady with whom he spent two unforgettable nights at Aphrodite's Grotto, the most scandalous brothel in London. But when Anna's plan is revealed, a bit of blackmail is thrown into the mix, a proposal is rejected and even the Earl himself will be unprepared for the intrigues that ensnare them.

Review:
This book is really giving me a love/ hate reaction. In some parts I really rather liked it. In others I rather loathed it. I have to admit this was a first for me in awhile. Normally I either really like it, think it's ok, or hate the book. Not have a complicated relationship with it. Many of these feelings stream from my reactions to the main characters Anna and Edward. This is because their actions in the book really make me want to strangle them sometimes, yet cheer in others. 

My hate of the book can be summed up in these plot points: 
1) Anne going to London merely to sleep with Edward. Does so in a way he didn't know it's her because she mets him at "Aphrodite's Grotto". The most dangerous and thrilling whore house in London. 

2)The way Edward acts towards her afterwards when he finds out. He basically starts to be an ass. He's pushy, overbearing, conceited, and believe's that if he acts sexy Anna will be seduced. What is with the name Edward that produces characters that i want to pulverize. 

3) Going off from of the last point Anna because's a willing sex toy. Then again is that so surprising considering what she did in point 1? 


My like of the book can be summed up in these points: 
1) Jock. Every time the dog came on screen i wanted to die laughing. 

2) The actual prostitutes that Anna befriends. Pearl and Coral were great additions. I really love how Peal gets together with the Hoppel, Edward's estate manager, at the end. It was so cute. Then Coral also get's her rightful place as head madame at Aphrodite's. 

3) The little bursts of wit we got now and then from Anna and Edward. They were a cute couple when one wasn't being an ass or an idiot. 

4) David and Viscount Iddesleigh. I love them both and really wish they were in the book more. 


Comparing my likes and dislikes together you can see why i have such a love/hate relation with the book. I give Elizabeth Hoyt great credit for giving me such a feeling. It takes a great writer to make you so emotionally invested in a book that you feel strong emotions towards the characters. The book also made me want to read the next two (someone put the leopard prince on book swamp please!!). Despite these things, I really can't give this book a higher rating than three bunnies. To do so would be dishonest since i clearly had a lot of issues with the main plot points of the story. 

So 3 Bunnies. 

 

"Love in the Afternoon" by Lisa Kleypas

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
Release date: June 29. 2010

Review:
The first line of a review is always the hardest to write therefore i'm going to open it up with a fact: I finished and read the book mostly in the afternoon(s) and thus the title was quite appropriate. Nothing like a heatwave to make a favorite chair or spot of the bed seem like heaven with a book. 

On another note i have to admit this was the first Hathaway book i read. I have the first three on my shelf having bought them at a book sale. After finishing this book i have to wonder why did i never pick up the other three because i loved it! I particularly liked Beatrix. I could totally see myself in her more so than any other heroine. Having six rabbits, 5 dogs, and nursed various baby wild bunnies to health i could easily identity with her on her animal obsession. I could also identify with her on her connection with nature. There is nothing more calming than being out in the woods. 

Beatrice of course is described as being an odd ball in her neighborhood. I supposed in 1857 she would have been as well. In a time where girls were expected to sit proper, wear corsets and hop skirts, and be as feminine as possible she is oddly out of step. In stead she'd rather run around in her pants and boots. Training horses and helping hurt animals. Decidedly not womanish at all. It only makes since that the person she eventually marries should know her before seeing her and be a bit odd himself. 

That brings me to the point of Christopher. He's portrayed as a tortured and hurt hero. He was a well to do dandy before getting sent to war, but while there he inevitably changed. It was only the letters from "Prudence" and his dog Albert that kept him sane and moving. Course Prudence being the stuck up bitch she was refused to write to him after his initial letter telling about the war. Therefore unknown to Christopher he was receiving letters from Beatrice and not Prudence. Christopher was a great hero, but for me he was overshadowed by Beatrice. If only he was slightly more tortured or haunted. Mean. I know. lol I can't help it. I like my men tortured and having some EMO moments. Christopher didn't experience enough of them. Though credit where credit is due Christopher wasn't entirely "healed" at the end and that gave his illness a more realistic approach. 

The two had a really cute romance and i rather liked the interaction. They each pushed and pulled at each other which created great dialog and friction. It also gave some depth to their relationship. You didn't feel like things were going too fast, nor that they were progressing too slow. The relationship went perfectly. Points also to Lisa for prolonging their relationship into a couple of months. That fact makes it even more believable. 

Final grade: 5 Bunnies. Positively brilliant in almost every way. Only few small nit picks and complaints. I do hope that Mark Barrett and Aubrey get a book. ^^ 

 

"Home is Where the bark is & Passion Becoms Her" review

Home is Where the Bark is by Kandy Shepherd
Release Date: July 6th, 2010

It’s a doggie dog world out there and no-one is learning this better than Nick Whalen. A recently retired FBI agent and new private investigator, Nick’s newest case has sent him to the “Paws-A-While” doggie day care and spa. His job is to investigate the owner for possible identity theft. Nick is convinced, since many of the recent victims have been clients of the business, that there has to be a connection. So armed with his aunt’s Yorkie Poo Bessie and his determination to crack the case, Nick enters “Paws-A-While” only to come face to face with the loveliest woman he has ever faced. The case has just entered a direction Nick was not planning on heading in. 

Serena Oakley’s new business is booming. At least it was. Lately a lot of her clients have been pulling out due to “financial troubles”. Therefore she is determined to make sure her new client stays, and when he does it’s for more than one reason. Nick Oakley and Bessie are the weirdest dog-child and human pairing Serena has seen since she started her business. Nick is way too masculine of man for a fru fru dog like Bessie. One thing Serena knows is the moment Nick came into her shop is that things are going to be getting fairly hairy quite soon; just how hairy Serena could never guess. 

I have to say I rather enjoyed this book. Living in a house with five dogs I found myself laughing at the doggie humor in Home is Where the Bark Is. I found myself relating to Serena’s dog-kid talk and Nick’s “a dog is a dog” talk at the same time. Speaking of Nick and Serena, their relationship is masterfully planned. There is some lust at first sight, but it took a while for the characters to realize they trusted and truly loved each other. Serena had to get past her issues as the result of a crazy stalker and an ex who dumped her by email on Valentine’s Day. Nick has to stop seeing Serena as a possible suspect. It was sweet seeing them bond over Mack and the other dogs in the story. You could almost track their relationship as progressed over the weeks. Truly nothing brings people together like animals and this story exemplifies it. 

The stories side subplot of indentify fraud is well written as well. You really go through all the motions believing that one person is guilty only to find them cleared. Then as you get nearer to the end of the book, you start getting suspicious of one particular character. So suspicious you find yourself mentally yelling at Serena to listen to Nick and stay away from said person. The big reveal at the end is wonderfully written and really brought things full circle. So if you’re a doggie person that likes mysteries with romance, than this book is for you. ~

Rating: 4 Bunnies

Passion Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee 
Release date: July 1st 2010

What does a highly skilled thief do after retiring? This is a question that Asher Cordell ponders as he executes his final theft. He is not cut out to be in the clergy, nor quite eager to join the armed forces. The only thing left for him to do is become the gentleman farmer everyone believes him to be. The last thing left to do is to steal the Ormsby fabled jeweled necklace to get back at the bastard for killing his grandmother’s beloved dog out of spite. Asher does not plan on having his theft foiled though; certainly not by a young lady intent on stealing something from Ormsby as well. Asher is thoroughly surprised to learn the young lady he grabbed to prevent his discovery is his old neighbor and childhood friend Juliana Greely. He is even later more surprised when Juliana shows up days later and asks him to steal some letters her sister had written to Ormsby. Perhaps retirement won’t be so boring after all. 

Oh, things are not going well for Juliana Greely. Her foolish younger sister has written scandalous letters to Lord Ormsby when she was in school and now he holds them over her. He demands that Thalia marry him or he’ll make the letters public and ruin her sister's engagement to the Earl of Caswell. Juliana’s father does nothing but fret and thus it’s up to her to get the letters back. Juliana decides that the perfect place to steal them will be at the ball Ormsby is holding. She just doesn't plan on getting accosted by a stranger in her attempt to find them, nearly getting caught by Ormsby himself, and getting dragged out onto the terrace by so stranger. Imagine her surprise when she discovers the stranger is no other than her long time neighbor and former childhood friend Asher Cordell. The person it seems may be her only hope at securing the letters and preventing her sister from ruin. 

I’m a bit on the fence with this book. I really liked the plot and the characters. It’s just that sometimes during my reading I felt that things went too smoothly for the characters all of the time. Everything happens to perfection and no ill or troubles seem to befall them except the stealing of the letters and an untimely murder (which is solved rather too quickly and easily). It felt like a bit of a sellout. I wanted more intrigue, more suspense, more…. substance. Things were a bit too happy go lucky. I almost expected to see the care bears come down from the sky sometimes. Perhaps I was expecting too much. White Collar rather spoiled me with the plot theme of a professional thief turned good guy. I was expecting a storyline along with what the show produces in historical context. That’s not to say the book wasn’t a good read. It was. I rather enjoyed it. I just can’t give it a high rating because there was too much happy go luckiness and perfect coincidences that happened at the right moment. Nobody has that much luck. I would recommend this book to those people who like Amanda McCabe. If you like her writing style you’ll like Shirlee Busbee's .

Rating:  3 bunnies

 

The Wallflowers 1 "Secrets of a Summer Night" by Lisa Kleypas

The Wallflowers 1 "Secrets of a Summer Night" by Lisa Kleypas 
Release Date: Dec 1st, 2006

Excerpt:
Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born. 

Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing -- and persistent -- admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition ... but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction. 

Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon -- and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses ... and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

Review: 
So after much persuasion and a delight jaunt into Lisa's world with "Love in the Afternoon" i decided to start the Wallflower series. Instead of started at the very end like i did with the Hathaway series i decided to start at the beginning. 

I have to admit i wasn't as big of a fan of this book as i was of "Love in the Afternoon". It was an "ok" book for me. I rather liked the entire Wallflower set together. I adored and laugh at ever one of their scenes.I also really liked the banter between Simon and the Lord of Westcliff. The thing is that i found Simeon and Annabelle to be merely ok when they were alone or together. I really can't even state why. They were merely "ok" characters. Nothing about them stood out to me to make me like or really hate them. I guess the best way to phrase it would be they were like your feelings of most side characters in a story. Your fine with them, but don't really care about them one way or another. It's only when they're with a group of their friends do they stand out. In that manner of phrasing i wish there were more scenes with Annabelle and the rest of the wallflowers and Simon and Westcliff. 

The most significant thing that stood out to me in this book was that the main characters weren't in the aristocracy. Something that was an interesting change. Instead Simeon is an entrepreneur and the son of a butcher. He's at the head of the industrial revolution and the great change that is about to be heralded in to the world. A world were the aristocracy has always ruled and are now becoming obsolete. It actually took me a bit to get my head around this since most historical's i read are when the aristocracy are in high fever. I also have to admit it took me a bit to get used to all the "American" talk in a book set in England. Something rather strange since i am an American. I'm just not used to see them mosey their way the English environment. 

All in all this book was 3 1/2 Bunnies for me. It had a nice story and some great moments, but not enough to be four stars.  

 

Lady Rouge and A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior

A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior
Release date: April 27, 2010

Excerpt: 
The Rules: 

A lady should always make polite conversation . . . 

Theresa Weller understands the rules of decorum, and is appalled when Colonel Bartholomew James disrupts a perfectly civilized dinner. This rude, insensitive man is the complete opposite of everything a gentleman should be—but with one searing kiss, Tess can think of no one else. 

A lady should never lose her temper . . . 

Aggravated beyond bearing by a man who speaks his mind, Tess wishes there was a guide to men like Bartholomew. Surely, with such an assortment of handsome, polite suitors to choose from, Tess should not ache for him. 

And a lady should never pursue a gentleman. 

She invites him on carriage rides and dares him to dance, and almost makes him want to return to Society. Bartholomew knows Tess wants to be seen as a proper miss, but deep down, he knows she is precisely the sort to spark his desire . . . A most improper lady. 

REVIEW: 

FIVE STARS all the way. Suzanne Enoch is the queen of writing tortured/wounded heroes as far as i'm concerned. *Bows down*. The book is so utterly good that i'm finding it troublesome to write this review because everything about it was just so perfect. I have nothing to complain about. The pacing of the romance was good. Tolly was *la sigh* and Theresa has to be one of my most favorite heroines of all time. I think the thing i really love about this story is that their romance rings true even thought it took part in over a short period of time. 

After nearly being killed and left for dead by some Indian "Thuggie" Tolly comes back to England a wounded man in both body and mind. He wants nothing, but to be left alone. At the beginning he was determined to get that no matter how rude and how much he made people hated him. Theresa was the stickler for propriety at the beginning. That all ended with Tolly rubbed her the wrong way at dinner with her cousin (whom is married to Tolly's older brother) and she left it lose at him. This starts a battle of the wills between the two and an eventual friendship. This friendship later turns to love. The best part for me in the book was when Tolly got the operation on his knee, knowing he could possibly lose his leg, because he wanted to be able to dance with Theresa. I fell in love with him hard there. Then Theresa barging in on the surgery and helping the doctor... WOW. I could never do that. I would be with Tolly's brother, sister, and Amelia (Theresa's cousin) outside. 

Another thing that i really loved about the book was the ending. You know Tolly and Amelia get's their "happily ever after" without it being all perfect. Tolly's reputation is still up in the air. The only thing is that people accept him enough to not shun him anymore. To me this was perfection since it wasn't a perfect ending. It was as close to real life as you can get. And i thank Suzanne for this. 

Next up it's been confirmed that Bradshaw Carroway get's a book!! *squee* 

Rating: 5 Bunnies. Perfect plot, characters, romance, and just everything *\^o^/*

Lady Rouge
Release Date: 1997

Excerpt:  
When the dripping wet ragamuffin showed up on his doorstep late one night, Alexander Cale, Earl of Everton, quickly discovers that the cheeky lad was actually an enchanting––but infuriating––chit! Kit is astonished that the devastatingly attractive Earl saw through her disguise in record time. But his charms is something she can ill afford, yet cannot resist. When danger threatens both their lives, only love can can save them 

Review: 
Perhaps i went into this book with too much expectancy of it being as good as Suzanne's "Lessons in Love" trilogy because it feel flat to me. The first couple of chapters had me hooked. Then the plot started to slow. Get no-where. And basically repeat itself over and over again. Kit was "who is the Englishman trying to stop the shipment of weapons to my father, I hope no-one finds out i'm a girl,I love wearing mens clothing and hanging out with the guys, and gosh Alex is hot". Alex was "i want to sleep with Kit, Is Kit a spy, If she is can i trust her, & i hope no-one finds out Kit is a girl". It basically got really really dull and flat fast. Suzanne really could have wrapped up the story a 100 pages earlier and have gotten the same result. There is a thing called editing. If the book feels like your going no-where or repeating yourself then editing is your best friend Suzanne and all authors. Lesser pages doesn't mean a lesser quality book. Perhaps i'm being a bit harsh here, but i was expecting something better than repetitiveness and redundancy.   

Rating: 3 bunnies