Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

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romancing the duke by tessa dare

 

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde
Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens.
She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks
offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

Ugly duckling turned swan?
Abducted by handsome highwayman?
Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and… Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance.
She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over
for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been
kissed?

This one.

MY REVIEW

Why did I not listen to other people when they were raving about this book?! I have seriously been missing out on one of the BEST Historical Romance Reads of 2014.  Not only is the writing phenomenal, but the characters were amazing to read as they bickered, kissed, played nice, and everything in between. I have so many pages marked with favorite quotes that I might as well just mark the entire story as one.

“No man deserves a woman like that. He mortgages his very soul to win her and spends his life paying off the debt.”

Isolde (Izzy) Goodnight has not only missed her chance at finding a husband due to being ordinary, but she has also lost her family and fortune.  While she still has her dignity and the respect of her Fathers fans from his written books, Izzy is alone and broke.  When her Godfather passes away and leaves her a castle in horrible conditions, she thinks of it as a way to start fresh and have her castle she always dreamed of.  Oh, and she is still a virgin at 26 years old.

“Oh, but this gift isn’t the same as an ermine. This is property. Don’t you understand how rare that is for a woman? Property always belongs to our fathers, brothers, husbands, sons. We never get to own anything.”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those women with radical ideas.”

“No,” she returned. “I’m one of those women with nothing. There are a great many of us.”

Ransom William Dacre Vane, the 11th Duke of Rothbury, has been hiding away in his family castle for months.  After his intended bride ran away with another man, Ransom went looking for them. When he found them, he was bested in a duel and left blinded from the wound.  He now hides from everyone so they don’t have to see his ugliness and he can lick his wounded, injured pride.  When Izzy arrives to claim her castle, Ransom refuses to believe his home has been taken from him.  Together they make out a deal to where she stays and becomes his secretary while they figure out who has taken advantage of him.

“Sometimes he wondered if women were all lawyers, with an extensive code of Romantic Law that they kept stubbornly hidden from men.”

Not only did I fall in love with Ransom, but the strength and determination that Izzy had standing up to him, made me enjoy this couple so much more. Izzy refuses to back down from him and it does bring about many memorable scenes and dialogue. Izzy can certainly hold her own against the stubborn and rude Duke of  Rothbury!

“Every time you wake up, you let fly the most marvelous string of curses. It’s never the same twice, do you know that? It’s so intriguing. You’re like a rooster that crows blasphemy.”

The side characters were wonderful as well! I loved the characters of Duncan and Abigail. I enjoyed them so much that I do hope they are featured again in future books — maybe as main characters even. If you are looking for a wonderful tale full of knights, honor, laughter and suspense, Ms. Dare includes it all in Romancing the Duke. A true fairy tale romance to read and be swept up in.

MY RATING

[sc:rate5 ]

AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS / AMAZON

Quickie Reviews For You (1)

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To try an catch up on some reviews, I decided to do a list of books I have finished over the holidays and at work lately. They are ones I haven’t had a chance to write full reviews on, but should still give you an idea of what I rated them and an overall expression for each one.

1. THE IMMORTAL WHO LOVED ME by Lynsay Sands

The Immortal Who Loved Me
(2 Stars)  

I love Lynsay Sands and her vampire romance books, but this one just felt as a filler book with no real chemistry between the two main characters. It felt forced, rushed and bland. It didn’t have the creative spark that she has had in the past books of the series.

BUY FROM AMAZON

2. LONDON FALLING (THE RULEFORDS) by Emma Carr

London Falling

(2 Stars)

Wasn’t a huge fan of the writing in this one. The plot was okay but poorly executed for me with little appeal. It did have some aspects that lured it to the 2 star rating but it never made it past that.

BUY FROM AMAZON

3. HANSEL#1: An Erotic Fairy Tale by Ella James

Hamsel
(1 Star)

Creepy and skeevy in my opinion. I was not as thrilled with this one as other readers have been. I just couldn’t get past some of the things that happened. I honestly had to force myself to finish this book and then have to deal with the ending we were given.

BUY FROM AMAZON

4. KALEIDOSCOPE by Kristen Ashley

Kaleidoscope
(3 Stars)

Love this author but her writing voice grated on my nerves slightly in this book.  I think I am just over the speech –and sometimes lack of speech– that this author is famous for. I might reread this one in the future though to see if it is just my reading preference at the moment.

BUY FROM AMAZON

5. IN KELLY’S CORNER by Roxie Rivera

In Kelly's Corner
(4 STARS)

Absolutely loved this book.  While it did have a little bit of story hiccups along the way, I truly enjoyed the journey and entertainment of this book. Another author I am adding to my auto-buy list.

BUY FROM AMAZON

Review: Wulfe Untamed by Pamela Palmer

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17832588

 

Wulfe Untamed
Author: Pamela Palmer
Series: Feral Warriors #8
Publisher: AVON
Expected Release Date:  1/28/2014

SUMMARY
From Goodreads

They are called Feral Warriors—an elite band of immortals who can change shape at will. Sworn to rid the world of evil, consumed by sorcery and seduction, their wild natures are primed for release…

The most enigmatic and tortured of the Feral Warriors, Wulfe is haunted by the quiet beauty of a human woman who no longer remembers him. Once a captive of both the Mage and the Ferals, Natalie stole a piece of his heart before he took her memories and sent her safely back to her fiancé. But now the Mage are threatening her again, and Wulfe will risk anything to protect her.

Natalie Cash is stunned when she’s saved by a wolf who shifts suddenly into a splendidly built, if badly scarred, man, a man with the kindest eyes. Swept into a world of intrigue and danger beyond her comprehension, she turns to the powerful Wulfe, finding a passion she’d only dreamed of. But when time runs out, they must trust one another and surrender to a wild, untamed love.

MY THOUGHTS

First of all, can we just take a moment to mourn the fact that this is the last book in the Feral Warriors series? Seriously Ms. Palmer? How could you do this to us?!

Now that we have that over with, let us continue on.  Wulfe Untamed is book #8 in the Feral Warriors series by author Pamela Palmer.  The main characters are Wulfe and Natalie Cash.  Characters from previous books are featured as well.

I was anxiously waiting for this book to arrive in my inbox.  I love, love , LOVE this series and the writing.  Ms. Palmer is an amazing author and has created a rich fantasy world featuring these Alpha animal shifters.  While this book could be read as a stand alone if the reader is just dying to start with book eight, I wouldn’t recommend it.  To get the full effect of the world the author created — and the plot itself — starting with book one in the series is best to avoid confusion.

In this book, the Ferals are starting to feel the full effect of the evil created by Satanan and Inir. One by one, the Ferals are losing their animal spirits and are no closer to figuring out how to stop the evil two.  As each warrior loses the animal spirit, Inir is one step closer to releasing Satanan into the human world for mass destruction.  Natalie is involved in this as well now that Wulfe healed her wound in the previous book. She is now a key — or conduit for better understanding — for the Inir and Satanan to use.

While this book was good and one I was looking forward to, I will say that it was quite confusing at times even for someone who has followed this series since book one.  Also, the ending was sort of rushed and not too exciting.  We have this big build up in story for seven books and when we reach the conclusion in book eight, it is resolved too easily and too quickly.

The epilogue was touching and beautiful.  I am sad though that we don’t get to get stories for the other Ferals who had developing stories of their own throughout these books. I need to know what happens to the rest of them! <—- Pay attention Ms. Palmer!!!

Overall the series as a whole was great, amazing and action packed! The book as it is was just okay though with repetitive story, confusion and too quick — if not easy — ending.

MY RATING
[sc:rate4 ]

AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS / AMAZON

Review: One Lucky Vampire by Lynsay Sands

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17334051

 

One Lucky Vampire
Series: Argeneau #19
Author: Lynsay Sands

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Luck be a vampire tonight . . .

When Nicole Phillips agreed to hire a housekeeper, she pictured someone a little frumpy and almost certainly female. Instead, she gets gorgeous, unmistakably male Jake Colson. The man is proving indispensable in the kitchen—and everywhere else. Except Jake might not be a mortal man at all.

. . . and every night

Who wouldn’t want to be a tall, dark, powerful vampire? Jake, for one. He’s barely had time to adjust to his new state before he’s roped into a family favor. Still, secretly playing bodyguard to sweet, sexy Nicole is turning out to be the wildest ride of his life. First he’ll put a stop to whoever’s targeting her. Then he’ll prove that this kind of love, and luck, happens only once in an eternity.

MY THOUGHTS

When it comes to author Lynsay Sands, I am a sucker for the story!  I absolutely adore her writing, characters and plot lines.  You would think after 19 books in a series I would grow bored with it.  Sadly, it just makes me crave more from her!

With One Lucky Vampire we get to read about Jake Colson and Nicole Phillips.  Jake you might remember as Stephano Notte from A Bite To Remember.  He was turned by Vincent in that book in order to save his life.  To say that he isn’t happy with being turned is an understatement. While he is glad to be alive, he did end up leaving his family behind to try and adjust on his own and in his own way.  When Marguerite asks Jake to help protect a friend of the family, Jake is nudged back into the family unit and accepts the job as a housekeeper/cook while actually being a bodyguard for Nicole.

Nicole has been through the ringer. Her previous husband was  guy who would rather spend her money than spend time with his wife.  He has made attempts on her life trying to get her money instead of losing it in a divorce.  She hires Jake as a housekeeper/cook to help her out while she finishes up her work in the art world.

With everything that takes place in this book between Jake and Nicole, I found the side characters of Dante and Tomasso to be my favorite.  They had some of the best lines in this book that left me laughing each time they opened their mouths!

“Nina’s gone,” Tomasso rumbled.

“What?” Nicole glanced around with amazement at that.  The woman had been standing guard over Jake like a German drill sergeant since arriving.   She hadn’t even allowed Nicole to peek into his room just to see for herself that Jake was alive and well.  “Then who’s watching over Jake?”

“Pinocchio doesn’t need watching.  He’s not sick anymore,” Dante informed her.

“Yeah, he’s walking and talking like a real boy now,” Tomasso added dryly.

…..”Right, so he was on his death bed the day before yesterday and now he’s up and moving around?”  She shook her head. “What if he passes out or just falls down and hist his head?”

“IT’s okay, it couldn’t hurt anything,” Tomasso assured her.

“Of course it could,” she snapped.  “People have been known to die from head wounds.”

“People have,” Dante agreed.  “But not Pinocchio.  His head is full of wood.”

I loved how they always called him Pinocchio in the story.  There is a reason why they call him this and it is one of the main reasons why Jake was unhappy about being turned and why he ran from his family.  Even with the jokes they throw Jake’s way, Dante and Tomasso truly love Jake and would love to have him back into the family fold.  I love how they end up having Nicole be the one person who saves Jake instead of the other way around.

If you are a fan of the Argeneau series, then this book should be a must buy book for you.  It brings back the feel of earlier books but also keeps it progressing for the entire series.  Keep them coming!

MY RATING

[sc:rate5 ]

AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS / AMAZON