Books I Have Read This Month:

1. Hunting Julian – Jacquelyn Frank
2. Sizzle – Julie Garwood
3. How I Met My Countess – Elizabeth Boyle
4. Hunter’s Need – Shiloh Walker
5. Becky Bound – Reese Gabriel (ebook)
6. Rope Dreams – Eliza Gayle (ebook)
7. Her Surrender – Eliza Gayle (ebook)
8. The Master’s Prize – Maggie Nash (ebook)
9. Guilty Pleasure – Lora Leigh
10. Fire & Ice – Liz Andrews (ebook)
11. At His Command – Felicia Forella (ebook)
12. Watch Me Hide – Eliza Gayle (ebook)
13. Den of Desire – Shauna Hart (ebook)
14. Coming Undone – Lauren Dane
15. The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife – Julia London
16. The Reluctant Dom – Tymber Dalton (ebook)
17. Bend Me Over – Sierra Cartwright (ebook)
18. Dream Chaser – Sherrilyn Kenyon (re-read)
19. Rough Cut – Mari Carr (ebook)
20. Tangled – Karen Erickson (ebook)
21. Unbridled – Delilah Devlin
22. Unforgiven – Delilah Devlin
23. Lessons from a Scarlet Lady – Emma Wildes
24. Society Weddings – Promised to the Sheikh by Sharon Kendrick and The Duke’s Secret Wife by Kate Walker (re-read)
25. The Italian’s Experienced Mistress – Lynne Graham – Harlequin Presents free ebook
26. Branded as Trouble – Lorelei James (re-read, first time in print)
27. Into the Dark – Gena Showalter
28. Chasing Perfect – Susan Mallery
29. Tempted by His Kiss – Tracy Anne Warren
30. Seduced by His Touch – Tracy Anne Warren
31. At The Duke’s Pleasure – Tracy Anne Warren
32. The Rogue’s Disgraced Lady – Carole Mortimer
33. Goddess of the Hunt – Tessa Dare
34. Sinful Surrender – Beverley Kendall
35. A Whole New Light – Julia Devlin (ebook)
36. Healing Seduction -  Jory Strong (ebook)
37. Deep, Dark, Delicious – Tina Donahue (ebook)
38. The Truth about Lord Stoneville – Sabrina Jeffries
39. Pride Mates – Jennifer Ashley
40. Nowhere to Run – Suzanne Brockmann – includes two stories: Not Without Risk and A Man to Die For
41. To Tame a Dangerous Lord – Nicole Jordan
42. My Darline Caroline – Adele Ashworth
43. Dare to Surrender – Lilli Feisty

Feisty, Lilli. Dare to Surrender. (New York: Grand Central, 2010). ISBN – 9780446541930.

Book Disclosure: Purchased

Main Characters: Joy Montgomery and Ash Hunter

Related Works: Ash Hunter is Ruby Scott’s ex-boyfriend. The story of Ruby Scott and Mark St. Crow appears in Lilli Feisty’s Bound to Please.

Description from Book:

He meets his match.

She meets her master.

Art gallery curator Joy Montgomery has never liked her body’s generous curves. And she’s always been too shy to explore her wild side. But tonight, everything is going to change . . .

Desperate to save her job, Joy approaches bad-boy artist Ash Hunter and asks him to exhibit his erotic work at her gallery. Ash agrees on one condition: Joy must pose as his model. But business soon turns to pleasure, as Joy experiences a passion soon turns to pleasure, as Joy experiences a passion beyond her wildest imaginings . . . and Ash finds more than just inspiration in his voluptuous new muse.

My Thoughts:

When I found out that Ash Hunter would be the hero in Dare to Surrender, I wasn’t sure about the story. After all, Ash Hunter had a rather prominent role in Bound to Please – as the heroine’s ex-boyfriend. As Ruby’s ex-boyfriend, he was somewhat responsible for a great deal of her angst. Ash certainly wasn’t a bad guy by any means. However, Feisty portrayed him as a rather unsympathetic character who was too distracted and disconnected to be able to be emotionally involved in a long-term relationship. I wasn’t sure whether I liked him or not.

But, I loved Bound to Pleasure (it was one of my favorite books of 2009) and wanted to read Dare to Surrender. It came in the mail late yesterday afternoon, and I immediately sat down to read it – and came to love Ash (and Joy as well).

I think that Lilly Feisty has a remarkable ability to create sympathetic characters that have realistic (and very  human) flaws. Her characters seem like people I could know – people I would want to know. Ash Hunter is still the distracted and sometimes disconnected artist that he was in Bound to Pleasure. But despite his character flaws, he brings out the best in Joy. Joy is a warm and good-hearted woman with serious body image issues. And, she is good for Ash. She makes him care in a way he hasn’t been able to before.

I so much enjoyed the relationship between Joy and Ash. I laughed when Joy would continually forget things. I laughed out loud when she pulled her cell phone charger out of her large purse while looking for a flash light. I worried about Joy when she agonized about returning Ash’s statue. I could feel her pain when she was discussing her reservations about her new relationship with her friends. I sympathized with her when she had difficulty believing that Ash could find her body desirable.

I also sympathized when Ash would struggle with his family obligations. He had an incredible need to protect and provide for his family – one that drove him rather obsessively. I could feel his anguish when his sister Violet decided to take matters into her own hands and force them all to face her disability and to move forward. Most of all, I routed for Joy and Ash to find their HEA.

Final Thought:

Feisty has a knack for creating some wonderfully endearing characters that I can’t help but love. She is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait for future stories.

Read first on January 30, 2010

Ashworth, Adele. My Darling Caroline. (New York: Avon, 2010). ISBN – 9780061905872. Reprint.

Book Disclosure: Purchased

Main Characters: Caroline Grayson and Brent Ravenscroft, Earl of Weymerth

Description from Book:

No man’s darling . . .

One by one, Lady Caroline Grasyon watched her four sisters celebrate their bethrothals, truly sure that marriage was not in her future – and perfectly pleased with that fact. Or so she thought.

Brent Ravenscroft, Earl of Weymerth, nearly gave his life for the Crown. He returned to England a hero with no intention of taking a bride, certain his brusque demeanor would intimidate any young ladies drawn to his good looks – or so he thought.

Bound by a business transaction, Caroline and Brent begin life as husband and wife. Utterly determined  not to fall for each other, they stubbornly ignore the sparks flying between them and keep secrets at every turn. They would resist the lure of love – and the pleasure of the marriage bed – forever . . . or so they thought.

My Thoughts:

This book was an emotional roller coaster for me. I was both enthralled and repelled by the main characters. So often throughout the book, Caroline seemed incredibly manipulative and selfish. Brent, meanwhile, came across as cold and unfeeling. By the time I finished the first chapter, I was fairly certain that I was going to have trouble finishing the book. I could not imagine that I would find anything sympathetic about either of the main characters.

However, Ashworth did not make either Caroline or Brent one dimensional. There was so much more to each of them than what the author initially gave us. Both Caroline and Brent were extremely vulnerable people who had been deeply hurt. Caroline was obsessed with leaving the country to study botany at Columbia. She planned to do so at almost any cost. Her new husband, on the other hand, was determined to not to love or need Caroline. I came to understand and care about both characters. They started to grow on me. But then, the two would fight – and be quite obnoxious to each other.

Caroline refused to consummate her marriage without explaining why. It was so easy to see how much this hurt Brent. Brent would simply take something away from Caroline – like access to the greenhouse. This devastated her. Brent lied about his illegitimate daughter. He kept quite about his family history. Meanwhile, Caroline continued making plans to simply leave Brent and her life in England behind. She never even hinted at her plans. I often could not envision these two making it to their HEA. I really thought that stubbornness and pride might actually win out at many times.

But make it to their HEA, they did – and, for me, quite believably. I am very glad that I did not give up on this book after the first chapter.

Final Thought:

This was an incredibly emotional read that made me both laugh and cry. There were times when I wanted to throttle both Caroline and Brent, but I found their HEA very satisfying.

Read first on January 31, 2010

Dare, Tessa. Goddess of the Hunt. (New York: Ballantine, 2009). ISBN – 9780345506863.

Book Disclosure: Purchased

Main Characters: Lucy Waltham and Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall

Related Works: This is part of Tessa Dare’s first trilogy. Other books in the series include the following:

• Goddess of the Hunt – story of Lucy Waltham and Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall
• Surrender of a Siren – story of Sophia Hathaway and Captain Benedict Grayson
• A Lady of Persuasion – story of Sir Tobias Aldridge and Isabel Grayson

Description from the Book:

Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting for a husband. But first she needs some target practice. So she turns to her brother’s best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles on him before setting her sights on another man. But her practice kisses spark a smoldering passion – one that could send all of her plans up in smoke.

Jeremy has an influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full of long-buried secrets. He keeps a safe distance from his own emotions, but to distract Lucy from her reckless scheming he must give his passions free rein. Their sensual battle of wills is as maddening as it is delicious, but the longer he succeeds in managing the headstrong temptress, the closer Jeremy comes to losing control. When scandal breaks, can he bring himself to abandon Lucy to her ruin? Or will he risk his heart, and claim her for his own?

My Thoughts:

I feel the need to admit that I have seen Tessa Dare’s name (and her books) all over the place for the past six months – and have consciously chosen to stay away from her books. I think that I was a bit turned off by the covers. I can’t really say why, but I have to guess that I assumed from the cover that this would not be the type of romance novel in which I would be interested. Maybe I thought it would be less about the romance between the hero and the heroine and more about just the  heroine. After having read the book, I am definitely at a loss to explain my reaction to the covers of this and the next two books in the series. Last week, I actually read the blurb for the book and realized that the plot revolved around a woman and her brother’s best friend – one of my favorite romance plots. Since, I was placing an order for some books, I included this.

My reaction? Wow, wow and wow!! I can’t believe that I allowed myself to wait so long to read this book. I SO adored it. Lucy is enchanting and was from the moment that she barged into Jeremy’s bedroom for a practice kiss (which was on page 1). She is such a wonderful character, full of spirit and life with a deep core of vulnerability. Jeremy, the hero, certainly was not absent from the story, as I had once assumed from the cover art. He is a man who is blindsided by the effervescent Lucy and the feelings that she inspires by asking to practice seduction with him.

Lucy tells Jeremy that she is practicing to seduce another of her brother’s friends, Toby – whom she has loved for years and years. Toby is about to propose marriage to someone else, and Lucy is determined to stop the match and win Toby’s love for herself. Jeremy knows that Toby does not love Lucy and begins a campaign to keep Lucy from doing something foolish like ruining herself. Jeremy, of course, is developing feelings for Lucy – ones to which he does not want to admit. I loved the scene in Henry’s office where Lucy and Jeremy are discussing Toby and his relationship to Sophia.

Her eyes were guileless green, but Jeremy saw red. “Don’t pretend this is about them. You don’t give a damn about what Toby or Sophia deserve. This is all about you. You think that if Sophia’s out of the picture, Toby will turn to you. He won’t”

Her eyes glimmered, and she lifted her chin. “Why wouldn’t he? Because I’m not elegant and accomplished? Because I have no dowry?”

“Because,” he said roughly, grabbing her by the shoulders. The soft wool of her shawl slid under his fingers. “Because I won’t let him?” (p.150)

Big sighs! This was one of the most romantic scenes, full of emotion – of which there is plenty in this book. Both Jeremy and Lucy are very intense characters who find themselves falling in love with each other rather unexpectedly.

One of the biggest surprises for me is the friendship that develops between Lucy and Sophia, the rival for Toby’s affections. Lucy wants to hate Sophia, and Sophia seems to be a bit envious of Lucy. Yet, they become quite close. I laughed out loud when the two got rather tipsy and wrote the letter to Sophia’s imaginary lover, Gervais. It was rather ironic that this letter came to play such an important role in Lucy and Jeremy’s courtship. I’m still laughing about the rabbit and cabbage endearments. I also loved that Lucy gave her book (which was teaching her about seduction) to Lucy. I so hope it plays a part in the second book.

This book is definitely destined for my keeper shelf. I have already read several passages several times – and envision re-reading the entire book several times in the future.

Final Thought: I am so glad that I finally bought this book. It is excellent, and I can’t wait to get the next two books in this series.

Read first on January 21, 2010

Mallery, Susan. Chasing Perfect. (New York: HQN, 2010). ISBN – 9780373774524.

Book Disclosure: This is a complimentary advance uncorrected proof.

Main Characters: Charity Jones and Josh Golden

Related Works: This is the first in Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series. Books in this series include the following:

• Chasing Perfect – story of Charity Jones and Josh Golden – to be published in May 2010
• Almost Perfect – to be published in July 2010
• Finding Perfect – to be published in September 2010

Description from the Book:

Perfection is in the eye of the beholder

Welcome to Fool’s Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There’s lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there’s just one tiny problem in Fool’s Gold: the men don’t seem to stick around. Maybe it’s the lure of big-city life, or maybe it’s plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, fast. Charity Jones may be just the city planner to do it.

Charity’s nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down, and she immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer – everything, that is, except its sexiest and most famous resident, former world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she’s not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he’s perfect just the way he is. But maybe that’s just what he needs – someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he’s just chasing perfect.

My Thoughts:

I have to preface this by saying that this isn’t the type of romance towards which I generally gravitate. I generally find Harlequin or HQN romances deal as much with life issues as they do with romances. This is certainly the case in this particular book. Charity Jones has recently made a huge life change and accepted a new job as the city planner in Fool’s Gold, California. She is hoping to get away from a relationship gone bad. When she gets to Fool’s Gold, she learns that there is a great deal going on in her new hometown. The mayor confides in Charity about the town’s man problem – or lack thereof. She meets Robert, a prospective love interest. She learns secrets about her own family. Then, there is the famous John Golden, who has a host of his own issues.

There is so much more going on as well throughout the course of this 376 page book, a great deal of which did not necessarily aid in or help the romance plot between Charity and John. I admit that I skipped over a great deal of the book that did not pertain to the actual romance plot. The good news is that the romance plot was my favorite part of the book. Charity and John are very real and compelling characters that fall in love while dealing with their own personal issues. I liked them both tremendously – and enjoyed their HEA journey. And, I was intrigued enough by Ethan to want to read his story – which I am assuming is next.

Final Thought: This was a very easy read with some compelling characters that would appeal to readers of category romances.

Read first on January 17, 2010

Warren, Tracy Anne. At the Duke’s Pleasure. (New York: Avon, 2010). ISBN – 9780061673429.

Book Disclosure: This is a borrowed copy.

Main Characters: Edward Byron, the Duke of Clybourne and Lady Claire Marsden

Related Works: This is part of the Byron’s of Braebourne series. Books in the series include the following:

1. Charmed by Her Smile – the story of India Byron and Quentin Marlowe, the Duke of Weybridge – part of the Four Dukes and a Devil anthology
2. Tempted by His Kiss – the story of Margaret Amberley and Lord Cade Byron
3. Seduced by His Touch – the story of Lord Jack Byron and Grace Danvers
4. At the Duke’s Pleasure – the story of Edward Byron, the Duke of Clybourne and Lady Claire Marsden
5. Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed – to be released in September 2010

Description from the Book:

All the Byrons are just as “mad, bad, and dangerous to know” as their famous non-relation . . . but now the time has come for the eldest son to marry . . .

Edward Byron, Duke of Clybourne, has everything a man in Society needs. . . except a wife. Duty requires he wed, so he decides that a long-standing arranged marriage will do nicely. He knows his bride is beautiful, biddable, and bright enough to run his household and nursery. He expects his betrothed, Lady Claire Marsden, will be thrilled with his decision – unfortunately, she’s not!

Claire has longed for Edward since she was sixteen, but how can he expect her to agree to his proposal when he barely knows her and doesn’t love her? Nothing will convince her to accept a loveless marriage. And so she begins a battle of outrageous resistance, forcing Edward to learn that he must lose his heart in order to win his bride.

My Thoughts:

Big sighs!! I so fell in love with Edward while reading this book. He was perfect as a haughty and privileged duke who decides it is time to carry out his duties and marry. It just so happens that he has been betrothed to Lady Claire Marsden since her birth twenty-one years ago. He believes that Claire will be thrilled that the time to wed has come. He isn’t sure what to make of the fact that Claire does not want to marry him.

Meanwhile, Claire is quite resolute in her determination not to marry Edward.  She goes to some extraordinary lengths to try and encourage Edward to jilt her. She courts scandal, spends Edward’s money and tries to convince him that she is not duchess material. However, Edward is incredibly resolute. He is determined to do his duty – and as he gets closer to Claire, he finds that his reasons for marrying her go beyond ducal responsibilities.

The two battle throughout the majority of the book which generates some serious sexual tension. Often I get tired of battling characters, but I thought it really worked for Claire and Edward. It certainly made them a wonderfully memorable couple – so much so that I anticipate re-reading this story many times in the future.

Final Thought: I absolutely adored this book – and fell jus a bit in love with Edward Byron.

Read first on January 20, 2010

Warren, Tracy Anne. Seduced by His Touch. (New York: Avon, 2009). ISBN – 9780061673412

Book Disclosure: This is a borrowed copy.

Main Characters: Lord Jack Byron and Grace Danvers

Related Works: This is part of the Byron’s of Braebourne series. Books in the series include the following:

1. Charmed by Her Smile – the story of India Byron and Quentin Marlowe, the Duke of Weybridge – part of the Four Dukes and a Devil anthology
2. Tempted by His Kiss – the story of Margaret Amberley and Lord Cade Byron
3. Seduced by His Touch – the story of Lord Jack Byron and Grace Danvers
4. At the Duke’s Pleasure – the story of Edward Byron, the Duke of Clybourne and Lady Claire Marsden
5. Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed – to be released in September 2010

Description from the Book:

He Had to Marry Her

Everyone in London agrees the Byrons are just as ”mad, bad, and dangerous to know” as their poetic non-relation. But Lord Jack Byron is facing a predicament that is scandalous . . . even for him!

Marry a young woman because he lost a bet? Unreformed rake Lord Jack Byron would do anything to get out of it. But the rich merchant who holds his debt insists Jack lead his on-the-shelf daughter to the altar . . . and make her believe it is a love match. With no options, Jack agrees, thinking he’ll be shackled to a closed-in spinster.

But Grace Danvers is no milk-and-water miss. When he first encounters her in a London bookstore, Jack is struck by her tempting sensuality and soon becomes determined to bed-and wed-her (in that order!). Yet though he plans to seduce her with his touch, he never dreams he’ll also wants to win her with his love.

My Thoughts:

Two books into this series and the Byrons are shaping up to be one of my favorite romance novel families – right up there with Stephanie Laurens’ Cynsters, Johanna Lindsay’s Malorys and Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons. I’m thoroughly enamored with this family. In fact, my one complaint about Seduced by his Touch was that Ned didn’t get a chance to discuss concerns about the upcoming wedding with Jack. I so enjoyed the scenes between Cade and Ned in Tempted by His Kiss – and wished there had been something similar in this book. And Jack definitely could have used some brotherly advice several times during the book.

Despite this small issue, I seriously enjoyed Seduced by His Touch. I think I read it in about four hours – and definitely had trouble putting it down last night to go to sleep. I can admit that level of my attachment to a book is directly proportionate to my level of attachment to the hero. And, I was incredibly drawn to Jack Byron.

Jack is a man who finds himself in the unenviable position of losing a huge some of money to a man who is looking to marry off his daughter. Ezra Daniels seizes the opportunity to encourage a match between the brother of a duke and his daughter. Jack can’t see any way out of Ezra’s bargain. He agrees to the deal, but isn’t necessarily comfortable about doing so. I think that Warren did an excellent job showing the reader how Jack’s unemotional plan to seduce Grace Daniels into marriage became so much more than just a business transaction. It was easy to see that Jack was falling in love with Grace and that she was just what he needed in his life.

Of course, it can’t be that easy for Jack and Grace to find their HEA. Grace is a quiet woman who doesn’t believe herself worthy of a peer of the realm. She has trouble believing that anyone could love her – nevermind someone whose brother is a duke. Because of this, it was rather apparent that Grace would indeed learn of the arrangement between Jack and her father – and that this would be the point of contention.

Grace does learn about he arrangement, right before her wedding day. She chooses to go through with the ceremony, but live separately from Jack. Jack convinces her to wait until after the Season to help alleviate gossip. Grace agrees, but withdraws from any type of emotional relationship with Jack. When Grace sees Jack’s ex-mistress kiss him, her self-esteem is in tatters and she finally flees.

Grace and Jack do find their way back to each other with a little bit of help from some unlikely places. There were no spies, murderers or blackmailers bringing the couple back together – which was actually kind of nice!

Final Thought: This was one of the sweetest romances I have read in quite a while. I can’t wait for more of Tracy Anne Warren’s Byrons of Braebournes.

Read first on January 19, 2010

The reviewer borrowed a copy of this book.

Hill, Sandra. Viking in Love. (New York: Avon, 2010). ISBN – 9780061673498.

Main Characters: Caedmon of Larkspur and Princess Breanne of Stoneheim

Book Disclosure: This is a complimentary advanced uncorrected proof.

Related Works: This is part of Sandra Hill’s Viking Series I. Other books in the series include the following:

1. The Reluctant Viking – story of Ruby Jordan and Thork Haraldsson
2. The Outlaw Viking – story of Dr. Rain Jordan and Selik
3. The Tarnished Lady – story of Lady Eadyth and Eirik of Ravenshire
4. The Bewitched Viking – story of Lady Alinor and Tykir Thorksson
5. The Blue Viking – story of Rurik and Maire
6. My Fair Viking – story of Tyra of Stoneheim and Adam
7. A Tale of Two Vikings – story of Toste Ivarsson and Lady Esme; Vagn Ivarsson and Helga
8. Viking in Love – story of Caedmon of Larkspure and Princess Breanne of Stoneheim

Description from the Book:

She said . . .

Caedmon of Larkspur is the most loathsome lout I have ever encountered! When my sisters and I arrived at his castle, we were greeted by servants and children running wild, while Caedmon lied abed after a night of ale. No doubt there will be another child soon, because I must admit he’s as handsome as he is virile. And I must endure him, for we are in desperate need of protection, though I can only imagine what this knight will demand of me in return . . .

He said . . .

After nine long months in the king’s service, all I wanted was peace . . . not five Viking princesses running my keep. And the fiery redhead who burst into my chamber that first morning is the worst of all. Why, I should kick her out . . . but I have a much more wickedly delightful plan for Breanne of Stoneheim, one that will leave her a Viking in lust.

My Thoughts:

This is one of those books that is a great escape. In it, Sandra Hill introduces the characters of Breanne and Caedmon. Breanne is a woman trying to protect her sisters after they murdered one of the sisters’ husband. Meanwhile, Caedmon has just returned after a long stint surving his king to find his home in a bit of a shambles. Breanne and Caedmon find themselves immediately at odds. Breanne is a rather strong woman who generally takes over anything and everything that she can, while Caedmon is just trying to get his life back in order.

While the two of them bicker, they slowly fall in love. I think somewhat without even realizing it. I certainly had no problem getting caught up in story.  

Final Thought: This is a very fun book to read. It made me laugh out loud.

Read first on January 16, 2010

The reviewer received and Advanced Uncorrected Proof of this story to review.

Warren, Tracy Anne. Tempted By His Kiss. (New York: Avon, 2009). ISBN – 9780061673405.

Book Disclosure: This is a borrowed copy.

Main Characters: Margaret Amberley and Lord Cade Byron

Related Works: This is part of the Byron’s of Braebourne series. Books in the series include the following:

1. Charmed by Her Smile – the story of India Byron and Quentin Marlowe, the Duke of Weybridge – part of the Four Dukes and a Devil anthology
2. Tempted by His Kiss – the story of Margaret Amberley and Lord Cade Byron
3. Seduced by His Touch – the story of Lord Jack Byron and Grace Danvers
4. At the Duke’s Pleasure – the story of Edward Byron, the Duke of Clybourne and Lady Claire Marsden
5. Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed – to be released in September 2010

Description from the Book:

Orphaned beauty Meg Amberley never planned to pose as Lord Cade Byron’s fiancee. Caught in a snowstorm, she takes refuge at his estate. Stranded together, Meg soon finds herself falling under Cade’s spell. When the roads clear, she intends to leave, but fate intervenes.

Haunted by his past, Cade Byron has buried himself in the country. The Meg – with her lush curves – invades his house and his life. With her reputation compromised, he proposes a pretend engagement and a London season where she can find a husband.

But as their charade deepens, Cade can’t let her go . . . vowing to tempt her with a kiss that just may lead to forever.

My Thoughts:

Several years ago, I read one of Tracy Anne Warren’s early works – I can’t remember which one. I had a hard time getting through the book and remember getting rather irritated with the heroine. I have kind of avoided her books since. However, my cousin had copies of the books in Warren’s current series, the Byron’s of Braebourne, and she lent them to me. So late yesterday, I decided to pick up Tempted by His Kiss.

Boy, am I glad that I did. Both Meg and Cade made their way into my heart very quickly. I certainly can’t resist the tortured male heroes – and Cade is certainly one of those. While on a mission for the English government, he was captured and tortured by the French. His captors shot him, nearly garrotted him, murdered his fiancée’s family and repeatedly raped his fiancée in front of him. Cade survived, but returned home a broken man. He retreated to a far off estate and isolated himself from his family.

Because of a snow storm, Meg is forced to take refuge at Cade’s home. Cade does his best to avoid his young  houseguest, but Meg won’t let him. When her reputation is nearly ruined, Cade must face his demons and take her to London while posing as her fiancé. As they spend more and more time together, Cade finds himself becoming quite enamored. However, because of his past, he does not believe that he can love again. Nor does he believe that he is good enough for Meg. Meanwhile the traitor who betrayed Cade to the French resurfaces.

Overall, I found this to be a delightful story. The Byrons are a very engaging family, and I can’t wait to get started on the next book in this series.

Final Thought: This book is well worth a read for fans of historical romance.

Read first on January 18, 2010

The reviewer borrowed a copy of this book.

Showalter, Gena. Into the Dark. (New York: HQN, 2010). ISBN – 9780373774517. Includes three short stories previously released as ebooks: The Darkest Fire, The Amazon’s Curse and The Darkest Prison.

Related Works: Two of the stories, The Darkest Fire and The Darkest Prison are part of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. Books in this series include the following:

1. The Darkest Fire – the story of Geryon, the Guardian of Hell and Kadence, the goddess of Oppression – originally published as an ebook, part of the material in the Into the Dark book
2. The Darkest Night - Ashlyn Darrow and Maddox’s story
3. The Darkest Kiss – Anya and Lucien’s story
4. The Darkest Pleasure – Reyes and Danika Ford’s story
5. The Darkest Prison - story of Atlas, the Titan God of Strength and Nike – originally available in ebook format, part of the material in the Into the Dark book
6. The Darkest Whisper – Sabin and Gwendolyn the Timid’s story 
7. The Darkest Angel - story of the angel Lysander and Bianka, the Harpy – in Heart of Darkness anthology – to be published in January 2010
8. Into the Dark – anthology containing the novellas The Darkest Fire and The Darkest Prison - to be published in May 2010
9. The Darkest Passion - story of Aeron and Olivia – to be published in June 2010
10. The Darkest Lie – story of Gideon and Scarlet – to be published in July 2010

The Amazon’s Curse is part of Showalter’s Atlantis series. Books in this series include the following:

1. Heart of the Dragon - Grace Carlyle and Darius en Kragin
2. Jewel of Atlantis - Grayson James and Jewel of Dunamis
3. The Nymph King - Valerian and Shaye Holling
4. The Vampire’s Bride – story of Layel, the King of the Vampires and Delilah, an Amazon
5. The Amazon’s Curse – story of Zane and Nola, an Amazon

Main Characters: Geryon, the Guardian of Hell and Kadence, goddess of Oppression in The Darkest Fire, Zane and Nola in The Amazon’s Curse and Atlas, the Titan god of Strength and Nike, the Greek goddess of Strength from The Darkest Prison

Description from the Book:

Three otherworldly tales from the master of paranormal romance. . . . and a brand-new Lords of the Underworld bonus guide!

The Darkest Fire – Lords of the Underworld prequel
Geryone is the guardian of hell, more monster than man. Kadence is the goddess of Oppression, more angel than woman. Together they will enter the flames to battle a dangerous horde of demon lords – and discover a passion unlike any other.

The Amazon’s Curse – A tale of Atlantis
Zane, a fierce vampire warrior, has been enslaved by the Amazons. Nola, a lovely Amazon soldier, has been cursed with invisibility. Now, these two stubborn enemies must overcome the pasts that haunt them and embrace a love that can set them free. . . .

The Darkest Prison – A Lords of the Underworld tale
Once, Atlas, the Titan god of Strength, was the Greek goddess Nike’s slave. Now, he is her master. And soon these sworn rivals destined to destroy each other will be forced to risk everything for a chance at love. . . .

My Thoughts:

I was thrilled to get this compilation of previously published ebooks as an advance copy – mostly because that meant I didn’t have to buy the stories in e-format. While I definitely do buy ebooks, I’m conflicted about buying short stories. These stories are roughly $2.40 a piece and are only about 200 pages combined. That doesn’t make sense to me, especially in a time when I am trying to be more economical about the amount of money that I spend on books. I am also a little bit unsure about buying bonus material. I did have this book on my list of must buys, but admit that I was most interested in the two stories from the Lords of the Underworld series.

With that said, I did enjoy all three of the short stories in this book. Geryon, the Guardian of Hell, was my favorite character: a man who has been beaten down and has done nothing but guard the gates of hell for centuries – only opening them for new arrivals. He has watched the goddess Kadence come to the gates every day to check on the wall holding in the demons. When the wall begins to crack, Kadence and Geryon must work together – but only after Kadence bargains with Lucifer for Geryon’s soul. Despite being free, Geryon remains to help Kadence. The ending might not have made me very happy, but it did make sense in the overall story of the Lords.

As a HUGE fan of Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld’s series, I needed to read this story (as well as The Darkest Prison). This one is a prequel where the demons of Violence, Death, etc. escape from Hell. Of course, there is much more to the story (ie Pandora, the Lords, the box, etc), but this was a fascinating glimpse into the world before the escape of the demon lords.

The most important things from The Darkest Prison seemed to be those parts dealing with Cronus. While Atlas and Nike’s story was a good one, I think that their relationship with Cronus and their plotting were the  more important aspects of the story. We also learned in this story more about the fate of Sienna – the woman who Paris had a relationship with in one of the earlier books. There were a couple revelations about the Lord of the Underworld’s series that makes reading these stories valuable.

As for The Amazon’s Curse, I knew very little about the story before getting this book. I was definitely excited when I found out that it contained the story of  Zane and Nola. I did read the previous book in the Atlantis series, The Vampire’s Bride which set up Zane and Nola’s story. The series itself isn’t my favorite. I think it pales in comparison to that of the Lords of the Underworld. However, in The Vampire’s Bride, Zane and Nola were left hanging. I was quite happy to read their story and see them get their HEA.

Ultimately, I always have a bit of a problem with short stories in a series. I always wish that the characters were given the chance at al full-length book. It is so very difficult for me to get totally into stories that are under 100 pages. It isn’t enough time for me to connect with the characters. Yet, I have to read them. The series are not complete otherwise. So, I thought this book was well worth a read as a fan of the series. I do admit that I only really glanced at the bonus material, as that material was much less important to me than the three stories.

Read first January 16, 2010

This book is an Advance Uncorrected Proof that the reviewer received for free.