The Seduction by Nicole Jordan

Grade: A+
Cover Grade: C

The Cover:
It's not that there is something WRONG with this cover. It's just I don't like cheese. I like basic stuff, simple stuff. Although one really good thing that is going on here is the rose on the pillow, it symbolizes something from the book. I like the cover to connect with the book. Maybe if it was a real room and not this fake stuff I'd have given it a better grade.

From the Publisher:
As the most notorious rakehell in Regency London, Lord Damien Sinclair sought only his own pleasure, until his beloved younger sister, Olivia, was injured and her reputation ruined during a forbidden tryst. Now Damien will do anything to destroy the young nobleman guilty of hurting Olivia. . . . And Vanessa Wyndham will protect her foolish brother at all costs, even if it means entering into an illicit bargain with the dangerously handsome "Lord Sin." When Vanessa offers to act as a companion to Lord Sin's invalid sister, Damien agrees with one scandalous condition—he'll forgive her brother's debt if she agrees to become his mistress.

And so the seduction begins. But once the affair has ended, will they escape with their hearts intact?

From Me:
Have you ever read a book and you actually hurt for the characters. Not just felt bad but you had pain? Okay that sounds weird, let me explain. When I'm am about to cry for real and I don't want to I kinda get a sharp pain in my chest and sometimes down my arm into my hand. Now THAT happened to me a lot while reading this book. But before I get into it let me just say a big THANK YOU to Grace for getting me this book and the others in the series for Christmas! LOVE YOU GIRL!

Okay on we go...Vanessa's brother has done something so horrible so beyond repair that she really doesn't think there is anything she can do to fix it. While wasting away his days with his friends and spending money his family doesn't have, he lets himself get drawn into a wager of sorts. He must make a young girl fall in love with him and convince her to marry him, all the while never mean to really do it.

His plan works all to well, and when he breaks the news to the girl a horrible accident happens in her haste to flee and she is left unable to walk. The young girl, Olivia is none other than Damien's sister, Lord Sin.

In Damien's quest for revenge he takes everything from the man, who is no more than a boy himself, who hurt his sister. Holding his entire families lives in his hands he leaves Vanessa no choice but to bargain with the Devil himself. But neither of them expect to find what they do in the bargain.

I think I felt so much in the book cause you can so plainly see both sides, well actually there are more than two sides, of the story so clearly. Sometimes there is a clear cut right and wrong. Not here. Cause although Vanessa's brother did entirely wrong by Olivia did that mean that her mother her and her sisters should become destitute?

But at the same time how should Damien seek revenge? Or even justice? Without further damaging his sisters name there is little else to do and something should be done for the damage done his sister.

We watch Damien struggle with loving his sister, that he doesn't have a great relationship with, and also fight his desire for Vanessa. We also see Vanessa struggle with a friendship she never thought to have with the girl her brother broke and the secret she is keeping from her as she too struggles with her virtue with a man she is falling in love with. Vanessa also has to deal with loving and trying to forgive her brother for bringing all of this down of everyone. Where do you drawl the line with family?

I loved this book sooo sooo sooo very much and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Great job Nicole Jordan.

Grade~ A+

Read the Series in order:
The Seduction
The Passion
Desire
Ecstasy
The Prince of Pleasure

Stealing Heaven by Madeline Hunter

Hero: Marcus of Anglesmore
Heroine: Nesta verch Llygad
Category: Medieval Historical
Page Count: 370
Grade: B+
Buy It: Here

Nationally bestselling author Madeline Hunter has thrilled her legions of fans with sensuous novels of intrigue, adventure, and romance. Now she weaves a spectacular tale of an English knight, a Welsh rebel, and a relationship that would defy their world and everything they believed possible between a man and a woman...

Stealing Heaven

Marcus of Anglesmore was not at all happy about being betrothed by the king to a woman he’d never laid eyes on. So when the brooding English knight accidentally came across her in a moonlit garden, he was both surprised--and delighted. Intelligent, charming, and beautiful, she was the most captivating woman he’d ever met. But the magic of that enchanted moment is soon shattered by cold reality: Nesta is not the woman he is to marry, but her sister. Of all the women Marcus might desire, none could be more dangerous than the wild and tantalizing Welsh witch with secret ties to both rebellion and king. For Nesta, no one could jeopardize her plans more than a man who would know the secrets of both her heart...and her body. Yet the course of their lives--and the destinies of their two nations--will be forever altered as they defy everything to surrender to the most daring seduction of all....

Have you ever started a book by a new author, a little hesitant and then get thrown off reading it cause someone says something negative about said author? That's what happened to me.
I have never read Madeline Hunter, but she was so nice at the book fair I went to, and I was craving a goo Medieval book, so I picked up her Stealing Heaven. I started reading it, enjoying it but still getting a feel for it when I told a friend I was trying her out. Well my friend said she read a MH book before and it was sooo dry, she finished that book but never picked her up again. OH NO! I tried but couldn't bring myself to read anymore, I had been in a reading funk and didn't want to break it with a bad book. So Take Me by Lucy Monroe came out and I've been waiting for it. So I picked that book up and devoured it! LOVED it, that review will be up next. When I finished TM I picked SH back up and.....couldn't put it down!!!! I have no idea what book my friend read by MH but this one???? Sooooo not a dry moment! So lets get on with it....

Marcus has been commanded to marry a Welsh woman that he's never met, and he's not happy about it. Especially when said woman has been pretending to be ill to put off the marriage to him. So he steals away into her home to confront her and take what's his, to his surprise she is in the garden....in the middle of the night. He goes to her and is swept away by her beauty and her wit. They share a magical kiss and some caresses, but the light of day brings many surprises for him. The next day he goes to call on his future bride and finds the woman he shared a magical moment with the night before is none other than his intendeds sister....and the whore of his King.

Nesta should not have allowed him to kiss her, she knew that. But when he came to her so brazen she could not hold a thought. Her body called to this man, the man promised to her sister. But it was of no consequence (so she told herself) since even though her sister was promised to him she would not be marrying him. Nesta and her father (before he passed) had made bigger plans that would not be thwarted by an English Knight and a King trying to make amends.

Now when I started off reading this, I though...here we go, I've read this story line before. They are on opposing sides of a 'war' and one will betray the other, they will fight and one I will hate. But it was sooo not the case and this book seriously swept me away.

Nesta is a strong woman (no she does not have penis envy and she does not take stupid risks trying to be a man), she knows her place in the grand scheme of things and knows that even if her heart is betraying her she must listen to her head. She tells herself that the happiness of one woman, herself, is so inconsequential in what she has dedicated her life to for the last few years.

Marcus knows that Nesta has ties to the Welsh rebellion and further more knows not to underestimate her. She's pulled one over on him once and it won't happen again. But as time passes and Marcus decides to have her as his own he needs to find a way to save her, from herself and the consequences that may come of her actions if they are found out. HE knows that he is falling for a strong and honorable woman and that woman no matter what her heart is telling her will not turn her back on her cause. And he admits to himself he wouldn't be falling for her is she was a woman that would. And Nesta knows the same of him.

They come together in truces at night and sharing themselves with each other in the sweetest of abandon ... yet they know with the light of each day they are enemies. They both do what they have to and pray that maybe there will be a way for them .... one day ... but they don't hold much hope.

As the book progressed I kept thinking 'okay now I'm gonna see that one side is right and one is wrong and then I'll know who is being stupidly stubborn' but I didn't. I was just as torn as they both were. In the end neither of them turned on their honor and .... well you'll just have to read to see how they end up.

I know your wondering what happened to the sister he was originally supposed to marry, and what about the King that Nesta was said to be the whore of? Well somethings cannot be said without ruining the book....sorry.

I would have given it an A maybe even and A+ but for one reason....I never cried. I know some of you are like "WHAT???" but I feel like a book filled with this much honor and passion should draw some kind of strong emotion from me. And since it didn't I am forced to give a VERY GOOD book a B+ instead. But I still say RUN AND BUY IT AND READ IT NOW!!!

Read it in order though! I didn't have that opportunity, grrr!:
By Possession
By Design
Stealing Heaven
By Arrangement

Take Me by Lucy Monroe

Hero: Jared Viscount Ravenswood
Heroine: Calantha Duchess of Clairborne
Category: Historical
Page Count: 321
Grade: A+
Buy It: Here or here.
Jared, Viscount Ravenswood, has no choice but to honor the deathbed wish of his ailing servant. All she asks is that Jared introduce her soon-to-be orphaned daughter to the notorious and reclusive Calantha, Duchess of Clairborne. No ordinary request, for this is no ordinary child. She is, in fact, the key to the Duchess's most private secrets and to Jared's own past-one that has branded him a Lord Beast amount the ton.
But when the Viscount meets the Duchess, he finds not the pitiless dowager he expected, but a lovely and wary angel=survivor of a brutal marriage left now with only her roses and the breathtaking mystery that is her life. For Jared, to solve that puzzle is to fall in love, to make Cali believe in the impossible, and to follow the promise that comes with the most intimate whisper of all...

***I am so pissed right now, I spent a half hour writing up a review on this book and it all freaking got deleted by blogger!***
O.M.G.! Talk about a phenomenal book! I could not put this book down for a second. That is after I got over the cover, I know I know I'm a cover snob. But you know what? I never said I wasn't so lets go there for a second, shall we. Okay now. The heroine....Calantha is supposed to be taller than most women but still delicate and almost frail. The hero....Jared is called Lord Beast, he is huge, massive, he has a scar down his face and even as Calantha is tall he towers over her. So our first problem? They are almost the same height...second, Jared looks like a fruit ball, what the heck is he doing with that rose? tickling her....third, Calantha looks like a linebacker, her shoulders are freaking huge! And she is not all that pretty. And what, is Jared tickling her with the rose causing a tickle on her thigh so she has to scrunch up her skirt? Okay, done rant....moving on the the excellent book.

Calantha has learned the hard way not to show her feelings, not to get close to people and to fear men. She was married to a horrible man, that used her loved ones against her, and always belittled her. Calantha did what she could to protect herself, she cut off her friends, she built up a wall of ice around her heart so not to feel and she never thought she'd look at a man again.....that's why Jared scared her so much. Yes, all the ton feared him. But not for the same reasons. They feared his looks and his impatience. He was scared, he was huge, the debs trembled in his presence. Calantha thawed in his presence, that ever present ice around her heart melted just a little each time. She saw his scar and saw a hero, she saw his size and felt protection, which was the strangest of all. After her record with men why should a man of such proportions make her feel safe, when she didn't even know him?

Jared was a strong man in both physical stature and honor. He made a promise to his dying friend on her death bed, he would take her daughter that he has raised and loved as his own to The Angel, as the ton has dubbed her. He knows what happened to Mary to get her pregnant, and cannot help but feel that woman she wants him to introduce to her daughter Hannah is a cold hearted Bitch. He is used to the way the girls of the ton cringe in his presence and the way servants snap to attention or tremble when he's near. So when he finally meets Calantha he is shocked by so many contradictions in her character.

As Cali and Jared find truths about each other and why they have been put together, they also find a friendship that runs deep. And a mutual love for a lost little girl. But what that friendship grows to becomes endangered when someone is out to frame Cali for a kidnapping and possible murder of that same little girl. As evidence mounts against her she is thrown back into defending herself from what she hasn't done, while Jared is fighting his own battle of wanting to have faith in a woman he is growing to care so much for and believing the blanted evidence.

This book knocked me on my ass. I cried for two chapters straight! I LOVED EVERY SINGLE WORD WRITTEN!!! Cali never became that heroine that knew better and could do it all. NO she depended on Jared when need be, never put herself in unnecessary danger, and was just about perfect. Jared was the perfect sensitive alpha male. Perfect mix. The only person that annoyed me in this book was Tessa, and only a little. She does something (or says) to/about Cali that is so wrong and mean and I don't think she honestly made up for it enough. It had surprises and everything. This book is just about as perfect as they come. So go get it. Don't put it on a list, get up and go get it NOW!!! My favorite of the series!!!

Read them in order:
Touch Me
Tempt Me
Take Me

It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Meet Our Hero ...
Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past .. and the key to his future. The problem is -- it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.


Meet Our Heroine ...

All the town agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her -- something charming and vexing -- that grabs him and won't quite let go ...


Meet Poor Mr. Mozart ...

Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual -- and annually discordant -- Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other ... and that there is nothing as simple -- or as complicated -- as a single, perfect kiss.


Only read my review if you've read the book because there will be spoilers!

I really really liked this book, I think it had the light fun feel of most of JQ's book. And I just plain and simple loved Hyacinth and Gareth. Neither of them annoyed me at all, they were both refreshingly unique. There was no "forcing" of a wedding, which was a nice change of pace, you know for a gentleman to actually make a choice to marry a young woman and her to say yes all of their own free will.

I must admit that at one point during the book Hyacinth is reading the Italian diary to Lady D and I thought for sure Lady D had only feigned not being about to read Italian to get Hyacinth and Gareth together and really understood it all. But no, that was not the case. To bad it would have been kinda funny.

I unlike most was not let down by the final scene with Gareth and Lord St. Clair, I felt it fitting. Any more emotion would not have fit the norm for them.

One thing that did bother me? Okay I HATED HATED HATED the very last page of the book!!!!!! I was soooo beyond pissed that Isabella (H&G's daughter) found the diamonds and didn't tell her mother!!!!!! It was not cute, not funny, not anything but ANNOYING!!! The entire freaking book we go through this wild goose chase with Hyacinth and Garth looking for the jewels and then they NEVER find them????? Just plain old aggravating.

My Grade: A- (minus for the last page!)

Favorite parts:

"You weren't very subtle," Gareth said.
"No," she replied, "but then, I really am. It's a skill one must be born with, I'm afraid."

I just love the interaction with Gregory! This all had me rolling!
"Milk?" Lady Bridgerton asked?
"Thank you," Gareth replied. "No sugar, if you please."
"Hyacinth takes her's with three," Gregory said, reaching for a piece of shortbread.
"Why," Hyacinth ground out, "would he care?"
"Well," Gregory replied, taking a bit and chewing, "he is your special friend."

Gregory turned to Hyacinth. "Do you still read to her (lady D) each Wednesday?"
"Tuesday," Hyacinth corrected.
"Oh. Thorry."
Gareth blinked. Did Hyacinth's brother have a lisp?

And I can't say enough how much I loved our hero and heroine together!"All right," he acceded, "but the only words I'll allow from your mouth are, 'Oh, Gareth,' and 'Yes, Gareth.'"
He lifted his finger.
"What about 'More, Gareth?'"
He almost kept a straight face. "That will be acceptable."

"I love you too," she said
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, once, deeply, on the mouth. "I mean," he said, "I really love you."
She quirked a brow. "Is this a contest?"
"It is anything you want," he promised.
She grinned, that enchanting, perfect smile that was so quintessentially hers. "I feel I must warn you, then," she said, cocking her head to the side. "When it comes to contests and games, I always win."
"Always?"
Her eyes grew sly. "Whenever it matters."
He felt himself smile, felt his soul lighten and his worries slip away. "And what, precisely, does that mean?"
"It means," she said, reaching up and undoing the buttons of her coat, "that I really really love you."

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

Everything was so much simpler…
When he was wicked.
In every life there is a turning point.

A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one's life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London's most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca's surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer — the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then…Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love…until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets…

When I first picked up this book and started reading it I really liked it. I thought I was in for a real treat. Now I know from Sylvia's review some of the reasons others didn't like this book, such as we barley knew Francesca. But that point didn't bother me at all, I felt as if I grew to know her plenty well in her book, so that was just fine with me. And also that she was happily married before, which that didn't bother me sooo much. I mean yeah it is hard to fall in love all over again if you were so happy the first time, especially if it were your husbands cousin almost brother. But what did bother me A LOT in this book is how indecisive Francesca was.

How she would be with him over and over, but not commit to marrying him. How every time something big happened she ran. I almost feel like she wasn't deserving of Micheal. He was so tortured and patient with her every whim. I loved him. I felt for him so much. I did really love how Colin played into this story too. How he saw right through Micheal and pushed him in the direction he needed to go. I think even though Francesca annoyed me in the book (and the fact that the book in general took soooo long to get to what I thought was the core of the story) I was still satisfied with the book.

...Till I read the Epilogue, and then I was left with more thoughts and questions. Like John's mother said Francesca and Micheal were born for each other and thanked Micheal for letting John love her first. Did that mean that if Micheal had made his feelings for Francesca known before the wedding she would not have married John since she was "born for" Micheal???? And do you think John loved her sooo much? As much as he maybe could have loved someone else? I mean she said they were satisfied in bed but she never felt the passion she did with Micheal with John so did that mean they were missing something in their marriage? Something she found with Micheal, something John could have maybe found with someone else? I mean he never touched her breasts????!!! Hello, men love breasts, what was up with that? And she never went down on John in TWO YEARS of marriage? Yeah, I'm thinking something was wrong there, and I'm thinking that it's a shame that Micheal didn't stop the wedding in the beginning so he and Francesca could have been together (soul mates) and John could have found his real soul mate. It seemed like Micheal should have been her best friend and lover from the start and John should have just been her best friend.

But beyond all that disappointed me, I must say I was most impressed with the sex in the book, and the foreplay. Hello, we weren't left wanting in that area. Micheal was just as wicked as we were all lead to believe and he didn't hesitate to bring it to the bed with the woman he loved. Bravo Micheal. I hate when the men in historical books feel they can't be naughty with their wives (even when they love them) since they are 'ladies'. Oh Please!

Grade: C+ (the plus is for Micheal, and all his wickedness)

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking and wondering and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled and when he kissed her the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder could this imperfect man be perfect for her?

I know quite a few of the other ladies here on SF have reviewed this book, as all the other Bridgerton books, so originally I had planned on not reviewing it. But as I read both the book and the reviews I found my opinions differed some, and so decided to give you all my review.

I think this is tied for first place in the series. I cannot choose between The Duke and I and this book.

I, unlike most, didn't think that Phillip was annoying in the way he was with his children. I didn't want to yell at him to stop worrying and just be with them. I think this may have been one of the most real books written on a parents fears. It wasn't overly done. Maybe if his anger in the book had been toward them and so he stayed away I would have been mad, but because it was directed at himself, I was able to understand where he was coming from. He never had a mother or anyone to tell him he was different from his father, so how was he to know when he was upset he wouldn't lash out at the children? He was trying so hard to protect them that when he came across the Nurse it nearly killed him to realize that his staying away hurt them as opposed to helping them. If he had walked away at that point and avoided them I think it may have been one to many times for be. But he didn't. And when his mistake was clear in front of him he fixed it. I loved Phillip, he was so real, so honest with himself.

And may I be blunt? Of course I can, lol. Another reason I so enjoyed this book was it was more sexual. OMG the intimacies between Eloise and Phillip were so hot! They were so hot together. I love how blunt and open Eloise was, she held nothing back. Physically, emotionally or with her words.

This book simply put was a breath of fresh air.

I LOVED the children, I know I stated my opinion on them in the book in the beginning but I must say again, how much they added to the book and to Phillips character.

Grade~ A- (the minus because I felt jipped in the epilogue, way to short, and not informative at all!)

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better...

-Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry, he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intendeds older sister, Kate Sheffield the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes to not make the best husbands and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate's determined to protect her sister but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...

Well I must say that this book was just okay for me. I mean it definitely kept my attention the entire time but Anthony really irked me. He was such a total jerk to Kate the entire first half of the book, and not just a little but horribly mean. And I do not think he made up for it in the least. There was no grand gesture or anything.

I really liked Kate in this book though. She was strong, never pitied herself, and was so loving to everyone. And when she found out about Anthony's fear she didn't mock him for the stupidity of it she just said it was totally understandable but he was wrong. That it would be okay. She was just great.

I must admit that I am getting more and more curious about who this Lady Whistledown is though. I do have my suspicions but I will keep them to myself till I know for sure. Over all I like the book and my grade would be....

Grade: B-

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry Although there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that is seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry although there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that is seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!


Well I finally started the series. Every raves about this series and you know what? I really enjoyed this first book. I loved the simplicity of it. There was no evil villain. No mysterious twist. Just two people that fall in love and have to come to terms with all that entails.

From the start Daphne has a confidence that is to be admired. She is not a heroine to swoon at a rakish remark or smoldering look. She holds her own with her quick wit and knowledge of all things male. Well except when it comes to the bedroom. Having four brothers, three of them older, Daphne is quite refreshing as a heroine. She doesn't even need a knight in shining armor to rescue her she is able and willing to throw down a punch to save herself or get what she needs. And while she did do one thing in the book to really irk me, she scored high on my heroine list. Once she realized she was falling in love with Simon she was determined to have him. Not only to make herself happy, but she was determined she was good enough for him and could save him and that he would love her just as much. She knew her self worth.

From the pain Simon had to deal with at a very young age he found anger the only tool to push him on in life. Anger made him find his words, anger got him into the school he wanted to go to. Anger....at his father. All he ever wanted was to be acknowledged but it was one of the many things his father denied him, to ashamed of him. So Simon was determined to defy his father at every turn of his life. Even when his father was dead. But when Simon realizes how much Daphne means to him and what he will be losing if he doesn't give up his hatred for a dead man he has some hard choices to deal with. Simon was a great hero. I loved everything about him. His speech problems made him more vulnerable to me and his honesty was refreshing. And just reading about his eyes made ME swoon.

I loved all the family interactions. All the Bridgerton siblings were great. Can't remember her name but the youngest girl (H-something) was so cute! Loved the possessiveness of Anthony and how B-something (lol) always backed him up. And Colin? Well I can't wait for his book, I can tell it will be a favorite. And I absolutely love the relationship all the Bridgerton's have with their mother Violet. Such a change from the traditional mother of the ton. She is so caring and warm yet strict and firm when need be. Great family.

If I were to find a fault in this book it would be the reason Simon didn't want children. I won't spoil the book and tell all, but for Simon being such a smart man he was very dumb in that one area.

But overall? Great read, looking forward to the rest of the series.

Grade: B+

Read the books in order:
The Duke and I
The Viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From A Gentleman
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
It's In His Kiss
On the Way to the Wedding

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

She gave him her innocence . . .Lady Aline Marsden was brought up for one reason: to make an advantageous marriage to a member of her own class. Instead, she willingly gave her innocence to John McKenna, a servant on her father's estate. Their passionate transgression was unforgivable — John was sent away, and Aline was left to live in the countryside . . . an exile from London society . . .and he took her love.

Now McKenna has made his fortune, and he has returned — more boldly handsome and more mesmerizing than before. His ruthless plan is to take revenge on the woman who shattered his dreams of love. But the magic between them burns as bright as ever. And now he must decide whether to let vengeance take its toll . . . or risk everything for his first, and only, love.

In Again the Magic we follow a story of two children, one born to peerage and one a lowly servant, that form a friendship and when they grow up a passionate love. Both know it can never be but they love each other so much they take all the risks to be with each other when ever they can. Until one day Aline's father finds out about the relationship and banishes McKenna from the manor. Aline knows McKenna will never go if he knows she loves him, he'd always find a way back and then her father would ruin him. So she makes him believe that she has just been playing with him and she could never really love a lowly servant. And although it crushes her she watches him walk away thinking she hated him and knowing he'd come to hate her for it.

Twelve years later McKenna returns to Stoney Cross not a servant anymore but a successful business partner from NY in America. And he comes with one thing in mind, to take Aline, to use her ... to get his revenge.

But when Aline and McKenna are together feelings they both do not want to acknowledge cannot be held at bay. Aline has secrets from a horrible accident and McKenna cannot trust the girls who once broke his heart.

So while reading this book first I was thrown because in the first few chapters we are lead to believe that Aline and McKenna have such a unique and special bond as to even be the others half. They know each others thoughts with just a look. And yet when Aline's father finds out the truth and tells McKenna he is to leave, and he goes to see Aline he just believes the bull she is spouting? She has always said she'd love him forever, and they knew each other so well, why then didn't he argue with her? Why couldn't he see the fake front she was putting on?

So 12 years later when McKenna returns for his revenge and they both fall for each other all over again what happens? Well because of a accident Aline had years ago she won't let the love bloom. She AGAIN pushes him away. I mean how many times does the man need to get his heart broken? It is all about the heroine making the ultimate sacrifice for the hero, the sacrifice that is so stupid you want to hit her.

Of course at the end we get our happily ever after, and McKenna was so swoon worthy at the end he totally made up for annoying me a bit in the story. But Aline? Yeah, by the end maybe I understood her a bit more, but she still totally irked me. She just seemed a bit shallow, or maybe just really stupid.

I was a lot more impressed with the secondary characters Gideon and Livia. Such a sweet romance with them. With true struggles not shallow superficial one's. I would love to have an entire book on them. A man actually struggling with a real problem, being an alcoholic, and a woman that loves him so much ... to much to marry him and watch him kill himself slowly. So in them we see Gideon struggle to over come his demons not only for a woman's love but for himself, and Livia with such an unselfish love.

So I would say this is a must read if only for Gideon and Livia. And for the ending with McKenna. And grudgingly I'll admit that although the hero and heroine annoyed me a bit with there ignorance through a lot of the book it kept my interests. So good writing.

And here are a few of the memorable quotes from McKenna, the man did have a way with words:

"My lady, you're about to receive an education in how to conduct and affair. Because for the duration of my stay at Stony Cross, you're going to work off your debt to me...on your back, your knees, or any other position I desire you in."

"I want you for a thousand reasons other than your legs, and ...no, damn it, I want your for no reason at all, other than the fact that you're you. I want to shove my self deep inside you and stay for hours...days...weeks. I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses...the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life...to lie in your arms as I take my last breath."

"You sleep too," she said groggily, her hand creeping to the center of his chest.
"No." McKenna smiled and pressed a soft kiss against her temple. His voice was husky with wonder. "Not when staying awake is better than anything I could find in a dream."

Grade- C+ (the plus is because of the great secondary plot)

The Marriage Bed by Laura Lee Guhrke

Summary: 1833, Lord John and Lady Viola Hammond remain the talk of the Ton as they continue to remain estranged for eight years with no heir, but he never cared because his solid best friend cousin Percy is next in line. That changes when John receives a letter from JohnÂ's widow Constance that he died along with their son. Grieving for his loss, John needs an heir because he will not allow the estate to be destroyed by his next in line. John visits Viola, informing her of the deaths and that he expects them to share a conjugal bed once he returns from the funeral. Viola says she will not sleep with him; John says he is within his legal right and she will or else he will take her to the House of Commons where even her ducal brother knows he will win. Following the funeral, John returns to London to get Viola. He admits that he wed her for her money, but liked her. She asks for more time and they begin seeing one another for he courts his wife who he is beginning to fall in love with while she always loved him.

Okay I read the first two books in this trilogy and loved them soo soo much. In those books you meet the Heroine from this book, Viola. You fall in love with the heart broken woman who at a very young age married a man she loved and who betrayed her and has been having continual affairs. You never meet John outright but hear about all the horrible things he does. So by time I started reading TMB I was ready to hate him. Well let me tell you LLG did aawesomee job at making you fall in love with a man that was so wrong in everything he did. The reason I gave this book a C was not because of the writing, which was top of the line, or the lack of interest in the story cause I was so into it. But because I personally could not imagine making any of the decisions the heroine did.

After John had had affairsamongg many women of the ton for 9 years he decides to come back to Viola because he finally needs an heir. He basically tells her the reason he went to all of those women was because she turned him out of her bed and was so unforgiving. Well she turned him out of her bed because she felt betrayed when she found out he had lied to her and was keeping a mistress while they were courting. Then instead ofapologizingg or begging for her understanding and explaining he gives her a month to 'get over it' and come back to him and when she doesn't he just leaves. Then starts the 9 years of affairs. During that time Viola is forced by her social standing to suffer through dinners, card games, balls and more with the women her husband is sleeping with.

Now LLG did a very good job of redeeming John...how heart broken he was when his sister died when he was just a child, how his parents never showed him any love, how his best friend and cousin died. But still can all theunhappinesss he suffered through be excuse enough for all he did? Not to say in the nine years they were married he didn't change but did thatcancele out all the horribly wrong things he did to his marriage? I just don't know.

One other thing that John did that really rubbed me the wrong way was when Viola, after taking a huge chance on loving himagainn, asked if he would promise to stay faithful he wouldn't promise. He said it depended on her! Well if he really loved her, as he supposedly did at the end, no matter what she did he would have stayed faithful. Right?

But like I said in the beginningg I did end up falling for John, and I loved Viola from the start. But honestly I don't know if I could have made the hard choices Viola did. I give hera lott of props as a great heroine, it would take a very strong woman to forgive like she did.

Grade: C

Read the Series in order:
Guilty Pleasures
His Every Kiss
The Marriage Bed

His Every Kiss by Laura Lee Guhrke

Everyone knows about Dylan Moore—his brilliant talent and his pleasure-seeking ways—but no one knows the torment that lies beneath his reckless veneer. Only one woman gets a glimpse of the forces that drive Dylan's soul, a woman who haunts his dreams and evokes his passions as no other woman ever has before.

Disgraced and destitute, Grace Cheval wants nothing to do with the seductive man who desires her. When Dylan offers her a position as governess to his newfound daughter, she knows his true intentions are dishonorable. Yet she finds this charismatic man hard to resist, and she returns his passionate kisses with a fire that matches his own. Can Dylan dare hope that this proud, spirited beauty will melt the ice around his heart?

Oh.My.Goodness! Loved loved loved this book! Such a great read, had me laughing and crying. I could not put it down, not even for a second. I loved all the characters it was so perfectly written. LLG didn't hold back on the flaws in any of the characters, and it added so much to the book. This will forever be one of my all time favorite historical books.

When we first see Dylan he is saddened and depressed wanting to just end it all. He has his pistol and is contemplating the merits of living anymore. When out of nowhere an angel appears playing a violin. She tells him not to do it, that he has a reason to keep living. Then she is gone...

Grace never forgot the day she saved Dylan from killing himself, and thinks she'll never see him agian. Untill she is playing at a ball he is in attendace at. As soon as she is done she slips away only Dylan has no intention of letting his angel slip away from him agian.

Dylan finding himself in a new situation with a daughter he has just met and a woman he needs to keep near to drive away the demons in his mind he hires Grace on as his daughters new governess.

As things heat up with Dylan and Grace differant aspects come to....Grace is falling for both a man and his daughter and fearing her past is doomed to repeat itself. Dylan is trying to change his ways of bachlorhood to become an ideal father and falling for his angel Grace too. And just when it seems they might all find their happily ever after something turns up that just might ruin it all.

You must read this book to find out all of Dylan and Graces trials and how they end up. It's a story you don't want to miss.

Grade: A+

Don't miss when Dylan is first introduced in Guilty Pleasures
and the end of this trilogy with The Marriage Bed.