Heath, Lorraine. Surrender to the Devil. (New York: Avon, 2009). ISBN – 9780061733994.

Main Characters: Frannie Darling and Sterling Mabry, the Duke of Greystone

Related Works: This book is part of Lorraine Heath’s Scoundrels of St. James series. Books in the series include the following:

• In Bed with the Devil- story of Lady Catherine Mabry and Lucian Langdon, Earl of Claybourne
• Between the Devil and Desire- story of Jack Dodger and Olivia, Duchess of Lovingdon
• Surrender to the Devil- story of Frannie Darline and Sterling Mabry, the Duke of Greystone
• Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel – story of Eleanor Watkins and Inspector James Swindler

Description from Book:

A devilish duke on a quest for pleasure . . .

Frannie Darling was once a child of London’s roughest streets, surrounded by petty thieves, pickpockets, and worse. But though she survived this harsh upbringing to become a woman of incomparable beauty, Frannie wants nothing to do with the men who lust for her, the rogues who frequent the gaming hall where she works. She can take care of herself and feels perfectly safe on her own – safe, that is, until he strides into her world, and once again it becomes a very dangerous place indeed.

To bed her, but not wed her. That’s what Sterling Mabry, the eighth Duke of Greystone wants. But Frannie abhors arrogant aristocrats interested only in their own pleasure. So why then does the thought of an illicit tryst with the devilish duke leave her trembling with desire? Her willing body begs for release . . . and a wicked, wonderful surrender.

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a very fitting story for Frannie – who has been a prominent character in this series by Lorraine Heath. She was the glue who held all of Feagan’s lads together – especially Luke, Jack and James. And although she has been in the previous two works, I thought she was a rather distant character. We didn’t really get to see her perspective. We only knew her from the perspectives of Luke and Jack. It was quite nice to get to know Frannie.

Sterling was also an interesting character – one that, I think, complemented Frannie nicely. They both needed each other in order for them to feel as if they belonged to something to someone. Each kept themselves a bit apart from those around them and longed to be able to truly be themselves.

I am quite looking forward to James’ story – and to meeting the woman who will replace Frannie in his affections.

Read first July 10, 2009

Jewel, Carolyn. My Forbidden Desire. (New York: Grand Central, 2009). ISBN – 9780446178242.

Main Characters: Alexandrine Marit and Xia

Related Works:

1. My Wicked Enemy- story of Carson Philips and Nikodemus
2. My Forbidden Desire- story of Alexandrine Marit and Xia

Description from Book:

Torn between . . .

Alexandrine Marit is a witch in mortal danger. An evil mage craves the powerful, mysterious talisman that supplies her magic, and the only person who can keep her safe is a dark and dangerous fiend called Xia. With his fierce animosity toward witches, he’s hardly the ideal bodyguard. Yet as days turn into nights, she can’t deny the white-hot passion between them.

Desire and Temptation . . .

Xia hates witches. They enslave and mercilessly kill his kind. But he’s been ordered to protect Alexandrine, who, to his surprise, has a spirit he admires and a body he longs to posses. With the mage and his henchmen closing in, Alexandrine and her protector must trust the passion that can unite them. . . or risk losing everything to the enemies who can destroy them both.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed Carolyn Jewel’s Scandal enough to read some more of her works. I hesitated about picking this one up because I tend to not care so much for paranormal books dealing with magic. However, I was deeply engrossed in this book from the moment I started it. Something about both Alexandrine and Xia appealed to me quite a bit. I admit that I sometimes got confused about all of the magic and pulling, but oddly enough my confusion didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the story. I can’t wait to go out and get a copy of My Wicked Enemy.

Read first July 2009

Wrap Up of June 2009 Reads:

1. All She Wants for Christmas/The Trouble with New Year’s Resolutions – Paige Tyler – My immediate reaction was that I wished I hadn’t paid $15.95 for this 120 page book which contained two stories. I remember picking up this very thin book and thinking “Seriously, $15.95????” As such, I was unhappy before I started reading. I don’t really have anything terribly negative to say about the stories, they were fine, readable and even enjoyable. I liked the characters and the relationships between the heroes and the heroines. However, I’m not sure that stories centered around spanking are my thing – especially at such a high cost for the print cost. I could be tempted to buy more Paige Tyler works, but only in electronic format – for far less money. Reading this book made me realize that I do have different expectations for books based on their cost – which I don’t think I consciously realized.
2. Sweet Persuasion – Maya Banks
3. Don’t Bargain With the Devil– Sabrina Jeffries- This was my least favorite of the books in the School for Heiresses’ series. Lucy annoyed me greatly, and I wasn’t terribly fond of Diego either. I don’t think this book was bad. I think that I had high expectations that the book failed to meet for me. I read this book rather quickly – skimming through a great deal of it. I may have to go back and re-read it a bit more carefully. Lord Kirkwood and his wife, Sarah, were a big part of the plot – and they are important characters in the conclusion to the School of Heiresses’ series (Don’t Wed Him Before You Bed Him) which I read later in the month.
4. Graceful Submission – Melinda Barron (re-read; first time in paper) – I first read this story when it came out in electronic format – and enjoyed it enough to buy it in print. I really liked the relationship between Grace and Toffer. This was one of the earliest BDSM stories that I read, and I very much enjoyed the way that Toffer introduced Grace into his lifestyle of bondage and submission. Some of my favorite parts of the book are in the beginning when Grace and Toffer are getting to know each over online. I found those scenes to be powerful – and rather sizzling, as well.
5. A Hint of Wicked– Jennifer Haymore
6. Tied Up, Tied Down – Lorelei James (re-read; first time in paper) – This is another book that I bought because I enjoyed the electronic version so much. I am a big fan of James’ Rough Riders’ series. In this one, Kade McKay returns home to learn that his one night with Skylar Ellison resulted in a little bundle of joy. While Skylar isn’t ready to get back together with Kade, she can’t deny him access to his daughter. To help, Kade moves in with Skylar. Of course, Skylar and Kade grow closer while living together and taking care of their baby girl.
7. Scandalizing the Ton – Diane Gaston
8. The Confessions of a Duchess– Nicola Cornick- This book was funny and cute. I got quite a kick out of the ways that the heroine, Laura, dowager Duchess of Cole, tries to foil to machinations of Sir Montague. Plus, I really liked the relationship between Laura and Dexter Anstruther. There was a nice twist regarding the thief that Dexter had failed to catch on his first trip to Fortune’s Folly several years earlier. Overall, this book made me smile. I now plan to read the rest of the books in this particular series.
9. Confessions of a Little Black Gown – Elizabeth Boyle
10. Regan’s Pride – Diana Palmer  (re-read) – I have already mentioned that I am a HUGE Diana Palmer fan. I wouldn’t say that Regan’s Pride is one of my favorites, but it is still a good. Carly has been in love with her best friend’s brother for years. However, he firmly believes he is too old for her. His coldness sends her into the arms of his cousin. Years later, Ted has to deal with what his coldness to Carly has caused.
11. Savage Obsession – Diana Hamilton (re-read) – When I re-read this book, I wasn’t aware the Diana Hamilton had recently passed away. I think that I need to find some of her other books that I own and read them again. Hamilton has always been one of my favorite Harlequin Presents authors.
12. Dark Guardian– Rebecca King(re-read) – This is definitely one of those romance novels with some elements that wouldn’t go over so well today. After all, the main characters first have sex when Fliss (the heroine) is only 17. Brand (the hero) isn’t aware of her age, but it is still a little creepy. I do have to admit that I didn’t find it so creepy when I first read the book back in 1991/1992. Of course that could also be because I can’t help my overwhelming attachment to guardian/ward stories.
13. Guardian Angel – Julie Garwood (re-read) – I love, love, love this book. Jade is one of my all-time favorite romance heroines. Sterns, the butler, is one of the best supporting characters I have ever run across. And then there is Black Harry. This books always makes me laugh – and definitely puts a smile on my face.
14. Trial of Innocence – Anne Mather (re-read) – I was always a big fan of Anne Mather’s Harlequin Presents’ books. In this one, the heroine is caught between her recently deceased husband and his younger brother – who may or may not be the father of her young son. I love this plot convention even though I’m not sure why. Robyn admittedly irritates me quite a bit because she is a bit obnoxious in her attempts to keep Jared away from her and her son. However, she does eventually give in to the man who should have been her first choice.
15. Paper Rose – Diana Palmer (re-read) – This is one of my favorite Diana Palmer books.
16. Brotherly Bonds– Brynn Paulin – anthology including On Your Knees, All Chained Up, Master Me,  and Gentle Control(re-read – first time in print) – I definitely enjoy Brynn Paulin’s works. I mean I own three of the four stories in this book in electronic format and really wanted to have them in print. What is interesting about reading all 4 stories together is that I found the family of BDSM practitioners to be a bit odd. This wasn’t something I noticed as much when I read the ebooks separately. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the stories – I just found it odd. The other thing was that I really wanted the sister to have a story. That I would really, really like to read.
17. A Rogue of My Own – Johanna Lindsey- This was a decent read. I can’t ever pass up a new Johanna Lindsey book. After all, she was one of the first romance novelists that I ever read. Several of her characters top my list of favorite romance heroes (James Malory – big sighs!!! – is SO unforgettable). So, I expect quite a bit from Lindsey’s heroes – and this might be why this book won’t displace any others that are on my list of favorite Lindsey works. I felt as if Rupert was rather flat as a character – and rather shallow. This could have been deliberate because of his spy-like job. However, I didn’t really feel as if we got to see deep enough behind his peacocky, popinjay-ish demeanor. I thought he would have been better suited for a secondary character than the hero. I liked Rebecca much more than Rupert. And, I find that if I like one of the main characters a lot more than the other, I can’t get as emotionally vested in the story as I would like.
18. Eclipse – Stephanie Meyer – I am surprised by how caught up I got in the Twilight saga. The further along that I got, the more I needed to find out how the story ended. What I kind of liked best about these books were how easy they were to read. Despite the length of the books, they took no time to read.
19. Secret Thirst – Evangeline Anderson- This was ok. I did like the main characters of Kris and Lauren. I thought the part of the book where the two have to hide out in another vampire’s lair dragged a bit, however. And, I didn’t really think that the sex between Kris and Lauren lived up to her fantasies (which are interspersed throughout the book). I did not find the book overly erotic.
20. Sins of a Wicked Duke – Sophie Jordan- Very enjoyable book. Dominic Hale was certainly as licentious as billed, but in a likeable way.
21. Breaking Dawn – Stephanie Meyer- Once I finished Eclipse, I needed to find out how things turned out for Bella and Edward. I can say that I wasn’t at all disappointed with this book. I thought it was quite fitting. In some ways, I thought it might have been better served to have been two separate books: one with Edward and Bella’s marriage and the birth of Nessie and one with the whole Volturi thing. Regardless, I am very glad that I did decide to go ahead and read these books.
22. Leather and Lace – Taylor Tryst – I don’t really remember much about this book – other than I wasn’t all that sympathetic towards Cleo as the heroine. I think I skimmed through much of this book to get to the end.
23. To Taste Temptation – Elizabeth Hoyt – I had to go back and buy this book after having read the second and third books in Hoyt’s Legend of the Four Soldiers’ series (To Seduce a Sinner and To Beguile a Beast). I definitely liked both Simon and Lady Emeline – and their courtship. It was also very interesting to read about Emeline’s friend Melissande – and to catch a glimpse of her feeling for Lord Vale. I may have to back and read To Seduce a Sinner again. Anyway, I can’t wait for the last book in the series, To Desire a Devil (to be released in November 2009). This has been an excellent series – one of the best that I have read this year.
24. Wed Him Before You Bed Him– Sabrina Jeffries
25. Real Men Last All Night – anthology including Cooper’s Falls by Lora Leigh, Luring Lucy by Lori Foster, The Edge of Sin by Cheyenne McCray and Wanted: A Real Man by Heidi Betts – I totally need to do a post about my anthology angst. I bought this because I read everything that Lora Leigh writes – and I enjoyed Cooper’s Falls. Honestly, I don’t really remember much about any of the other stories.
26. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen– Janet Evanovich- Funny, funny, funny!!! I laughed out loud at some of the antics of Lula and Grandma Mazur. Lula’s decision to enter the cooking contest had me in stitches – that and Stephanie in the hot dog costume. Oh yeah, and the streaker being carried out of the funeral home with his wanker hanging out??? Too funny!! Also, there was a great deal of Ranger/Stephanie time. I think it has been a while. On the other hand, this means that I missed Morelli. Stephanie and Joe were on a break, and this was the only thing about the book that made me a wee bit sad.
27. Darkness Burning – Delilah Devlin- I have gotten into this series by Delilah Devlin and plan to continue reading future books. I do have to say that these people have some seriously long and drawn out sex sessions. Once or twice, I actually winced because all of that sex made Mikeala quite sore. I don’t mind books with lots of sex as a rule, but can admit that I did eventually skip over some of the sex scenes in this book because I wanted to be able to concentrate a bit more on the plot.
28. Secret Ties– Opal Carew- I didn’t really know what to make of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of the book where Summer meets Max and gets seduced into experimenting with BDSM. The story fell apart for me a bit when Summer returned home and got involved with her two best friends. The story was billed as the story of Summer and Max – with no mention of the two best friends. Yet, Summer longs for these two men and does get involved with them. Max, of course, is the hero. Summer does have sex with the two friends and Max – all together, one-on-one and in various combinations. They talk about their feelings of love. Yet in the end, the two friends realize they love Summer, but aren’t in love with her – not like Max. Summer ends up with Max, but this doesn’t negate the possibility of a continuing sexual relationship with her two best friends. It seemed a bit unrealistic to me. So, ultimately, I found the addition of the two friends to be a serious distraction.
29. A Duke to Die For – Amelia Grey – I always buy guardian/ward stories – they are one of my favorite romance plots. I was also intrigued by the curse that may have killed Henrietta’s previous guardians. Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I hadn’t read anything by Amelia Grey previously, but do intend to in the future. This book is the start of a series about three male cousins – who we met in this book. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
30. B.A.D. Attitude– Sherrilyn Kenyon – As a HUGE fan of Kenyon’s Dark Hunter books, I decided that I really needed to try books from her other series. This one was decent. I definitely liked both Sydney and J.D. – found them and the story appealing. However, this book didn’t move me the same way that Kenyon’s Dark Hunter books did. I think I was expecting more – which isn’t necessarily fair. Overall, I think that I would like to read some additional books in this particular series in order to make up my mind.
31. Seduce the Darkness– Gena Showalter- This is the second of Showalter’s Alien Huntress novels that I have read. I think that I read Enslave Me Sweetly which didn’t provoke too much of a reaction – positive or negative. I did enjoy Seduce the Darknessand think I have a better sense of the series itself. I do plan to read the first book in the series to see if that brings the entire series into clearer focus. I do think that my reactions to some of Showalter’s books are due to high expectations. I absolutely adore the books in her Lords of the Underworlds series – and I think that I expect other books to be the same. They are not – and realistically, probably shouldn’t be. So, I haven’t totally made up my mind about the Alien Huntress books, but I do like like them much better than those in Showalter’s Atlantis series (which I can’t get into).
32. Auctioning Charity – Reese Gabriel- I think that by now I own all of the books that Resse Gabriel has written for Ellora’s Cave. They are all highly romantic stories with highly dominant men and lots and lots of sex.
33. Eye of the Storm – Ann Jacobs – I did enjoy this story of ex-lovers trapped in close quarters by a raging storm. It probably isn’t my favorite Ann Jacobs story, but was worth a read.
34. Everything Nice – Mari Carr – Menage stories are definitely all over the place these days, and I like reading stories with different dynamics. In this story, Allie is in love with both Charlie and Alex. Alex is also in love with Charlie. Charlie loves Allie, but is clueless about Alex. I definitely liked the way Carr portrayed Charlie and his difficulties accepting Allie’s desire for a committed menage.
35. Hard on Miss Hardin– Lyla Sinclair- This is an Ellora’s Cave Exotika story – a line of erotica that does not claim to conform to romance norms (monogamous relationships, HEA). In this story, Miss Hardin finds herself at the mercy of a former student who she might have been rather hard on. This was an excellent short story – one which was rather steamy!
36. Illegal Moves– Dalton Diaz and Samantha Cayto- This story was ok. I bought it because the main characters had been lovers once upon a time. Overall, I got a bit tired with Caroline’s need for revenge. I also didn’t necessarily buy into Caroline’s insistence that Jordan allow a man to have sex with him in order to make up for his past transgressions. The actual sex scene was well done, I thought – I just didn’t buy the reason for the menage.
37. Papaya Paradise – Brigit Zahara- This story was ok. I didn’t really get that into the story, but admit that I was reading while my attention was elsewhere.
38. Riding Out the Storm – Desiree Holt – I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as I do with most books written by Desiree Holt. I can’t resist the heroine/best friend’s older brother story line. It gets me every time. Throw in a dominant best friend’s older brother, and I just have to read it. And, I am glad that I did.
39. Beg Me – Desiree Holt – I enjoyed the premise of this story – Sable agrees to a bargain with the dominant Alex in order to win an interview. However, things quickly get complicated between the two. I actually thought that the power struggle between the characters got a bit in the way – which is strange given that the power struggle is a big part of the relationship.
40. Interlude – Desiree Holt- What a delicious interlude this book was. There is something so erotic about semi-public scenes. I think I was a bit taken aback by the fact the club only existed when it was raining – that paranormal element did give me pause. However, it couldn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the book.
41. Running Wild– Saskia Walker- This is a decent book. However, I will say that the capture thing isn’t really my favorite. I have always found it difficult to suspend my disbelief when characters pretent to run away so that they can be caught.
42. Seduced by the Neighbor – Crissy Smith – I was surprised by how much I liked this story – very engaging and very sexy.

One of my goals when I started this blog was to do a write up of all of the books that I read. Little did I know how unrealistic that goal was. It takes a lot of time and effort to read an average of 27 books and 6 ebooks a month (average since October 2007) – and that leaves little time to be able to do individual wrap ups. So, I am going to try and do a monthly wrap up. We will see how that goes.

Books I Have Read:

1. All She Wants for Christmas/The Trouble with New Year’s Resolutions – Paige Tyler
2. Sweet Persuasion – Maya Banks
3. Don’t Bargain With the Devil – Sabrina Jeffries
4. Graceful Submission – Melinda Barron (re-read; first time in paper)
5. A Hint of Wicked – Jennifer Haymore
6. Tied Up, Tied Down – Lorelei James (re-read; first time in paper)
7. Scandalizing the Ton – Diane Gaston
8. The Confessions of a Duchess – Nicola Cornick
9. Confessions of a Little Black Gown – Elizabeth Boyle
10. Regan’s Pride – Diana Palmer  (re-read)
11. Savage Obsession – Diana Hamilton (re-read)
12. Dark Guardian – Rebecca King (re-read)
13. Guardian Angel – Julie Garwood (re-read)
14. Trial of Innocence – Anne Mather (re-read)
15. Paper Rose – Diana Palmer (re-read)
16. Brotherly Bonds – Brynn Paulin – anthology including On Your Knees, All Chained Up, Master Me,  and Gentle Control (re-read – first time in print)
17. A Rogue of My Own – Johanna Lindsey
18. Eclipse – Stephanie Meyer
19. Secret Thirst – Evangeline Anderson
20. Sins of a Wicked Duke – Sophie Jordan
21. Breaking Dawn – Stephanie Meyer
22. Leather and Lace – Taylor Tryst
23. To Taste Temptation – Elizabeth Hoyt
24. Wed Him Before You Bed Him – Sabrina Jeffries
25. Real Men Last All Night – anthology including Cooper’s Falls by Lora Leigh, Luring Lucy by Lori Foster, The Edge of Sin by Cheyenne McCray and Wanted: A Real Man by Heidi Betts
26. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen – Janet Evanovich
27. Darkness Burning – Delilah Devlin
28. Secret Ties – Opal Carew
29. A Duke to Die For – Amelia Grey
30. B.A.D. Attitude – Sherrilyn Kenyon
31. Seduce the Darkness – Gena Showalter

eBooks I Have Read:

1. Auctioning Charity – Reese Gabriel
2. Eye of the Storm – Ann Jacobs
3. Everything Nice – Mari Carr
4. Hard on Miss Hardin – Lyla Sinclair
5. Illegal Moves – Dalton Diaz and Samantha Cayto
6. Papaya Paradise – Brigit Zahara
7. Riding Out the Storm – Desiree Holt
8. Beg Me – Desiree Holt
9. Interlude – Desiree Holt
10. Running Wild – Saskia Walker
11. Seduced by the Neighbor – Crissy Smith

Shayla Black posted today that Delicious (Luc’s story – the 3rd book in the Wicked Lovers’ series) is done! And is slated for a March 2010 release. While I know that I will find it hard to wait the 8-9 months until the books is out, I’m very excited to have news about the book. I am a huge fan of Wicked Ties and Decadent (the first two books in the Wicked Lovers’ series) and have been waiting and waiting for the next installment.

I am also very excited by the fact that I have a package arriving tomorrow with 7 new releases: Anne Mallory’s For the Earl’s Pleasure, Lorraine Heath’s Surrender to the Devil, the Four Dukes and a Devil anthology, Michelle Marcos’ Wickedly Ever After, Jacquelyn Franks’ Rapture, Julia Quinn’s What Happens in London and Loretta Chase’s Don’t Tempt Me. Gena Showalter’s Seduce the Darkness arrived this afternoon.

Even better, I am on vacation which means that I will have plenty of time this week to read myself into oblivion.

Life is good tonight!

Jeffries, Sabrina. Wed Him Before You Bed Him. (New York: Pocket Books, 2009). ISBN – 9781416560821.

Main Characters: Mrs. Charlotte Harris and David Masters, the Viscount Kirkwood

Related Works: This is the final story in Sabrina Jeffries’s The School for Heiresses series. The following books are part of this series:

• Never Seduce a Scoundrel – story of Lady Amelia Plume and Major Lucas Winter
• Only a Duke Will Do- story of Louisa North and Simone Tremaine, the Duke of Foxmoor
• The School for Heiresses – anthology including “Ten Reasons to Stay” by Sabrina Jeffries about Colin, the Earl of Montieth and Eliza Crenshaw, “After Midnight” by Liz Carlyle about Martinique and Lord St. Vrain, “The Merchant’s Gift” by Julia London about Grace Holcomb and Barrett Adlaine and “Mischief’s Holiday” by Renee Barnard about Alyssa Martin and Leland Yates
• Beware a Scot’s Revenge- story of Lady Venetia Campbell and Sir Lachlan Ross
• Let Sleeping Rogues Lie- story of Madeline Prescott and Anthony Dalton, Viscount Norcourt
• Snowy Night with a Stranger – anthology with the short story “When Sparks Fly” – the story of Ellie Bancroft and Martin Thorncliff
• Don’t Bargain with the Devil- story of Lucinda Seton and Diego Montalvo
• Wed Him Before You Bed Him- story of Mrs. Charlotte Harris and David Masters, the Viscount Kirkwood

Description from Book:

At eighteen, Charlotte Page made a life-altering mistake. She wronged a man in an impulsive act that she came to deeply regret, though it led to her present life as Mrs. Charlotte Harris, owner of Mrs. Harris’s School for Young Ladies. Unbeknownst to her, that man is now her anonymous benefactor, the mysterious “Cousin Michael.” His masquerade began as preparation for a devastating revenge, but became a labor of love. Now Charlotte desperately needs his help. Can he save her from disaster as his real self without revealing the ugly secret behind his charade? Or will the mistakes of both their pasts tear them apart forever?

My Thoughts:

As someone who has read all of the books in Sabrina Jeffries’s The School for Heiresses series, I have been curious about Mrs. Charlotte Harris’s Cousin Michael from the start. We have always known that he is Harris’s mysterious benefactor, but have only known him through his correspondence with Charlotte – pieces of which we have read at the start of most new chapters in the series. I as quite happy to learn that the last story of the series would be Charlotte and Cousin Michael’s, and have been looking forward to it for some time.

The School for Heiresses has been a fun series – and I have enjoyed all of the books. Of course, some I have enjoyed more than others. The  most recent book, Don’t Bargain with the Devil (Lucinda and Diego’s story) was okay. It was worth the read, but both characters (especially Lucinda) irritated me – and quite honestly, made me a bit less excited about the prospect of Wed Him Before You Bed Him.

Fortunately, my apprehension was all for not. I found Wed Him Before You Bed Himto be a very fitting end to the series and even more so, a very fitting HEA for Charlotte. I am a sucker for the reunited-lovers theme, so this one was right up my alley. I was extremely surprised that David Masters, Lord Kirkwood was a man from Charlotte’s past – and that he was Cousin Michael. Previously, his biggest claim to fame was that he was married to Charlotte’s former student Sarah – who wasn’t a terribly nice person. He has appeared in most all of the books in the series – and maybe that should have been a tip off. But, I can admit to not remembering too much from the earlier books in this series.

Overall, David was a very nice surprise – and I absolutely adored he and Charlotte together. I did think that his role as Cousin Michael was a bit convoluted, especially since so many of his actions were aimed at trying to break the relationship between Michael and Charlotte. At the same time, he spent so much time and energy trying to prevent this secret from coming out – and I found this a bit painful. I mean, I knew it had to come out at some point.

It is always a bid sad to see the end of a series. Fortunately, I found Wed Him Before You Bed Him to be a fitting capstone.

One somewhat unrelated item: I can only wonder at book naming. In this book, Charlotte does comment that wed-him-before-you-bed-him is one of the rules for her students – but it is only one line in the book. And, Charlotte certainly didn’t wed David before she bedded him. I’m not sure if the title is supposed to mean anything, but it doesn’t hold much relevance to the story.

Read first June 23, 2009

The commentary over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is often humorous. However, I could barely contain my guffaws when I read the following line in a post:

. . . when one character’s personal code, no matter how flawed that code may be, will absolutely not allow them to act on what is one hell of a smoking case of the hotty mcwantingpants.

Smoking case of the hotty mcwantingpants is the best line ever. Maybe I should use a hotty mcwantingpants scale to rate the books I read. But even better, I’m wondering if I will be able to slip it into some everyday conversations.

Okay, I also have to add that WordPress’ spell check gives mcwantingpants a big thumbs up, but doesn’t like hotty. Odd!

Hamilton, Diana. Savage Obsession. (New York: Harlequin, 1993). ISBN – 0373115881. Harlequin Presents #1588, September 1993.

Main Characters: Charles Savage and Beth Savage

Description from Book:

A second baby – a second chance?

She’d been crazy to marry Charles Savage in the first place! And now, Beth was convinced that nothing – least of all her – would keep Charles from the woman he really loved.

Beth’s marriage to Charles had effectively ended when she’d lost the child he so desperately wanted. There was no point in pretending she was still needed in his life. Especially when that other woman could offer him so much more – a son. His son?

Beth had reason to believe it was. Would her own pregnancy – which she discovered after she’d left Charles – even matter to him now?

My Thoughts:

I’ve been moving my boxes of books, going through them to see what I might be able to get rid, and this has led to some re-reading on my part. I have always loved reading category romances. Harlequins were the first romance novels that I ever read – since that was what my mom read. To this day, I find them very quick reads that more often than not make me happy. I also find it fascinating to read category romances from 15-20 years ago to see how much romance has changed.

Diana Hamilton was always one of my favorite Harlequin Presents authors. In Savage Obsession, Beth Savage has recently miscarried. The miscarriage was the result of a car accident – one in which her husband Charles was driving. Since the miscarriage, Beth and Charles’ marriage has disintegrated with the two living like polite strangers. Beth believes that Charles only married her for an heir, and that the miscarriage means she may not be able to have additional children. When Zanna Hall and her young son arrive on their doorstep, Beth is sure that her marriage is over.

Rather than allow Charles to talk to her about Zanna – and ask for a divorce, Beth decides to be the one to end the marriage. She finds herself a job and moves out of the house. However, Charles is unwilling to let Beth go. He follows her to France trying to figure out what has caused Beth to end their marriage. While he gets no answers, Beth does become pregnant again. When Charles realizes this, he carts her back to their home. The two are not able to resolve their issues until Charles breaks through Beth’s reserve after the birth of their son. But, of course, they do their HEA.

When I read these category romances now, I often wonder if I would love them as much if I were reading them for the first time in 2009. I tend to think that Beth would seriously irritate me if I had not first read this book in the early 1990s. When a woman with a little boy that Beth believes is her husband’s son, she gives up. Beth believes that this is the woman her husband has always loved. She has no desire to fight – she just runs away. She isn’t very nice to her husband – who is portrayed as a rather aloof character. We see very little from his point of view. Despite all of this, I did read this book many years ago – and it remains one of my favorite Diana Hamilton books.

Read first June 2009

Boyle, Elizabeth. Confessions of a Little Black Gown. (New York: Avon, 2009). ISBN – 9780061373237.

Main Characters: Thalia Langley and Geoffrey, Baron Larken

Date: 1814

Related Works: This is part of Elizabeth Boyle’s The Bachelor Chronicle’s series. Books in the series include the following:

• Something about Emmaline- story of Alexander Dumont, Baron Sedgwick and Emmaline
• No Marriage of Convenience- story of Mason St. Clair, Earl of Ashlin and Madame Fontaine
• Stealing the Bride- story of the Marquis of Templeton and Lady Diana Fordha
• This Rake of Mine- story of Lord Jack Tremont and Miranda Mabberly
• Love Letters from a Duke- story of Felicity Langley and the Duke of Hollindrake
• Confessions of a Little Black Dress- story of Thalia Langley and Geoffrey, Baron Larken
• Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress- story of Philippa, Lady Gossett and Captain Thomas Dashwell

Description from the Book:

She spied him in the shadows . . .

And in an instant, Thalia Langley knew the man before her was no saint. He might claim to be the Duke of Hollindrake’s unassuming country cousin, but no man that handsome, that arresting, could be anything but . . . well, he simply must be an unrepentant rogue. His cat-like grace and power leave Tally shivering in her slippers at the notion of all the wicked, forbidden things he might be capable of doing . . . to her.

Indeed, Lord Larken is no bumbling vicar, but a master spy there in his majesty’s service to find – and murder – a notorious pirate freed in a daring prison escape. Devoted to the Crown, Larken’s not about to let an interfering (and not entirely innocent) Mayfair miss disrupt his ruthless plans. Yet how can he be anything but tempted by this lady in a little black gown . . . a dress tantalizing enough to lead even Larken astray.

My Thoughts:

From the moment I started this book, I could not put it down. I carried this book around with me everywhere so that I could continue to read it. I almost burned dinner because I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was cooking.

I’m always a little bit unsure of how I am going to react to an Elizabeth Boyle book. Some books I love, some I just like and some I have trouble finishing. I really enjoyed the previous book in this series, Love Letter from a Duke. I loved the Langleys, so I really needed to read Thalia’s story. I didn’t have any expectations – especially after reading reviews of the next work in the series, Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress. I certainly expected this next book to be about Pippin and Dashwell, just not 22 years later. So, I was on the fence about reading this book. But, I can say that Confessions of a Little Black Gown sucked me in completely. I thought it was a wonderful story.

Thalia and her cousin Pippin have a problem. They have broken Pippin’s love, the pirate Dashwell, out of prison. The government suspects the Langley’s of being involved, and they send someone to investigate – and end Dashwell’s life. In comes, Geoffrey, Baron Larken who tries to masquerade as a mild mannered vicar to find the pirate. Thalia suspects that Larken is not all he seems right away -  mostly because of her instant attraction to him.

One of my favorite things about this story is the fact that Thalia and Pippin did indeed break Dashwell out of prison. These are two very strong and intelligent women who can match their wits against anyone. The Langley’s definitely had an unusual upbringing, and they can take care of themselves.

I do now intend to read Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress – after all, I have been following Pippin and Dashwell’s romance since This Rake of Mine. I’m not sure how I will react. I remember being disappointed when I found out that the two would not get together until after marriages to and lives with other people. However, it is good that I did find out – otherwise, I would have found the end of this book a bit sad.

Read first June 11, 2009