Review - The Lost Duke of Wyndham

Title: The Lost Duke of Wyndham
Author: Julia Quinn
Publishing Date: 2008
Genre: Historical
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

Grace Eversleigh’s parents died of fever five years ago leaving her orphaned at seventeen. The dowager Duchess of Wyndham took pity on Grace and employed her as her companion. The two of them are coming home from a party when their carriage is pulled over by highwaymen. The highwayman in question is very suave and debonair. The Duchess thinks she recognizes him as a relation to the house of Wyndham as he is the spitting image of her dead son John.

Ms. Quinn certainly writes an entertaining historical. Jack Audley is quite the character, with his witty charm and sharp intelligence. He steals the show in this book, leaving Grace to fade somewhat into the background. While the book begins from Grace’s point of view in third person, the majority of the rest of the book is told from Jack’s perspective. Also, with the plot centering on the question of Jack’s lineage, the focus tended to remain on Jack, forcing the story to be more hero-centric. I didn’t really mind this, since Jack was a vibrant character. The only problem I did have with it was when Jack would wax poetic about the love he felt for Grace. The prose came across slightly flowery and didn’t match Jack’s masculine persona. It would have been more appropriate coming from Grace.

The plot was great. The question of Jack’s identity and how everything was going to be resolved satisfactorily added quite a bit of tension to the book. I kept wondering to myself, “How in the heck is Quinn going to fix this mess?” Not to worry she does deliver on that aspect. I did think that after a big secret is revealed the ending was too abrupt. I wanted a little more closure on how things were going to work out for the individuals involved.

One thing that may have influenced how I read the book was the fact that I know there is another book, Mr. Cavendish I Presume that tells the same story from Thomas’s point of view. (Thomas was the legitimate Duke that Jack was usurping.) I noticed, as I was reading The Lost Duke of Wyndham, that there were scenes that sort of left holes in the book and I imagine they will be a part of Mr. Cavendish I Presume.

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November Classic Challenge - As You Desire

As You Desire by Connie Brockway has made AAR's reader choice Top 100 Romance Poll in 2000, 2004 and 2007. In 2004, it was ranked among the top 10. So knowing me, I have to see for myself what all the fuss is about. Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

HE WAS HER KNIGHT IN TARNISHED ARMOR…

He galloped across the midnight-shrouded landscape, racing toward her on his steed of pure white. Her destiny... In her wildest fantasies Desdemona Carlisle could not have conjured a more dashing savior, and this was real! But an unlikelier hero was hard to find. Harry Braxton was a born opportunist who had already broken her heart once, years before. How could she ever trust him again? Harry was a notorious rake who came with a warning: lover, beware...

AN IRRESISTIBLE SCOUNDREL WHO PLAYED HAVOC WITH HER HEART

With her bronze-gold hair and quicksilver grace, the sloe-eyed beauty was everyman's desire, totally oblivious of her devastating effect on men. It was all Harry could do to be Desdemona's friend -- and bury the corrosive secret that kept him from claiming the woman he loved. But when his aristocratic English cousin laid siege to Desdemona's heart, it was the ultimate challenge in a most dangerous game that Harry intended to win...

This summary sounds pretty cheesy. This book was published in 1997, way past the day of bodice rippers. What's with these names, Harry and Desdemonda? Seriously? Also, the summary doesn't really tell the reader anything. Not off to a good start, in my humble opinion. We'll just have to see. Hmmm...

Review - Romeo, Romeo

Title: Romeo, Romeo
Author: Robin Kaye
Publishing Date: November 2008
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot

Rosalie Ronaldi finds herself with a flat tire on the side of the interstate, when she leaves her parent’s house after having joined her family for their traditional Sunday dinner. Nick Romeo, who owns several car dealerships, is working late Sunday evening on one of his beloved cars. On his way home, he notices an attractive woman on the side of the road kicking her car’s flat tire. Being the nice guy that he is, he stops to give her a hand. Nick is used to women falling at his feet and hasn’t had to actively pursue a woman for her attentions. Until Rosalie, that is. He finds himself intrigued and attracted.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with Romeo, Romeo. I think the back blurb is a little misleading to the plot of the book. It focuses a little too much on how Nick loves to cook and clean and how Rosalie doesn’t. While this is true to a certain extent, it is in no way the driving factor of the book. Nick keeps his true identity from Rosalie, throughout most of the book. The fact that he has a lot of money, and has women jumping at the chance to reel him in – as if he was a fish - and a prize one at that, he feels it’s necessary to keep his identity from Rosalie. Because Rosalie thinks he is just an auto mechanic and seems to like him for himself, he continues to lie to her. Things get complicated as they always do, and it is not long before Nick is in way too deep and is clueless on how to correct her false assumptions.

There is lots of snarky humor and fast paced witticisms in this book. Some people might find Rosalie’s sarcasm a turn off, but I didn’t. Sometimes it was a little too much, but overall I thought it gave a ring of truth to Rosalie’s personality. I am a real sucker for good conversation. Romeo, Romeo had it in spades. Here is an example of the quick writing, with an exchange between Nick and Rosalie:

She gave him a squeeze and a slow, thorough kiss before sliding off his lap. “I’m going to take a hot shower. I’m still cold to the bone and I want to wash off the icky feeling of Johnny’s sweaty hand. God, he’s such a pig. I might have to burn this skirt.”

“You sure you don’t want me to pay him a visit? I’ll teach him to keep his hands to himself.”

She patted his cheek. “That’s a sweet offer. Cro-Magnon, but sweet.”

Nick wrapped his arm around her waist as she slid back on his lap. He held her hips as he moved beneath her and whispered in her ear. “I know how much you like it when I play ‘caveman’.”

He nipped her earlobe, and she groaned. “Oh, yeah. Let me get a shower; you get your club. I’ll meet you in the cave in a half hour.”

“Take your time. I have to hunt for food first.”

“It’s a date.”

Also, I love the picture Ms. Kaye paints of life in New York City. I haven’t ever been there myself, but I could imagine a day in the life of Rosalie and Nick in the City with trips on the Subway and dinner at small intimate restaurants in Little Italy. There were a slew of secondary characters that I felt only added to the charm of the story. Even Rosalie’s dog made an impact. All in all, this was a charming, light read.

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October Book Summary

October was a very nice month with a total of 15 books read. I definitely think I will reach my reading goals for the year. There were a couple of duds this month, but for the most part I read a lot of good books. I think the biggest surprise for me was Annie's Song. I just love discovering new (at least to me) authors and I love knowing that there will never be a shortage of authors to glom.


1. The Darcys and the Bingleys, Altman (Historical) Rating: B-
2. Alpha and Omega, Briggs (Urban Fantasy) Rating: B- (Story in anthology, On the Prowl)
3. Tempted, Hart (Contemporary/Erotic) Rating: B+
4. Cry Wolf, Briggs (Urban Fantasy) Rating: B
5. The Price of Desire, Goodman (Historical) Rating: B+
6. Smart and Sexy, Shalvis (Contemporary) Rating: D
7. No Humans Involved, Armstrong (Paranormal) Rating: B+
8. Annie's Song, Andersen (Historical) Rating: A
9. Laughter of Dead Kings, Peters (Mystery) Rating: B-
10. Dangerous Secrets, Rice (Romantic Suspense) Rating: C+
11. The Rest Falls Away, Gleason (Paranormal/Historical) Rating: B-
12. What Happens in Vegas, Copeland, Bast, Dane, Tunstall (Contemporary/Erotic) Rating: B
13. Romeo Romeo, Kaye (Contemporary) Rating: B+
14. The Lost Duke of Wyndham, Quinn (Historical) Rating: B
15. Pleasure Unbound, Ione (Paranormal) Rating: B-

Review - What Happens in Vegas

Title: What Happens in Vegas
Publishing Date: 2008
Genre: Contemporary (Erotic)
Sensuality: Burning

What Happens in Vegas is an anthology that is composed of four novellas set in Las Vegas.

Title: Hot For You
Author: Jodi Lynn Copeland
Rating: D

Carinna is a cocktail waitress at the Casino, The Liege. She has had feelings for her good friend Jack for as long as she can remember. Four months ago she and Jack had a night of passion. From that night forward their friendship has become stilted and weird. Carinna wants to for things to go back to the way they were before they had sex. Jack has other plans and wants to move forward.

Hot for You was my least favorite story of the anthology. Carinna and Jack both alternate narrating the story. Much of their narration is spent lusting after each other. I didn’t like Carinna or Jack, so that made it difficult for me to like their story. Both of these characters came across as very slutty. Carinna has commitment issues and likes her sex dirty. So she has been around the block a time or two. Some of the sex scenes in the book made me uncomfortable. One thing that really grossed me out was that both of these characters have been very promiscuous in their past, but neither one once had protected sex during this book.

Title: Stripped
Author: Lauren Dane
Rating: B+

Dahlia is a burlesque dancer at an upscale club. The owner’s brother Nash Emery sees Dahlia’s performance and makes a pass at her. She puts him in his place with a seething cut down to let him know that she might be a dancer, but she is not a prostitute. Seeing there is a lot more to Dahlia than her bodacious body, he is intrigued by her. He devotes himself to getting into her good graces and wooing her.

Stripped was probably the mildest story sexually of the bunch. Even though Dahlia is attracted to Nash she takes her time getting to know him. She isn’t the type of girl to jump into bed with just anyone. She is afraid of getting hurt by Nash, who is known as a playboy. Nash is tired of the string of women who don’t really know anything about him. He is lonely and wants somebody to know the “real” him. I liked both of these characters. Dahlia had a chip on her shoulder about Nash’s rich background. That is the main conflict between them and one that they work out in this story. I like how Nash handled Dahlia’s insecurities.

Title: Red Handed
Author: Kit Tunstall
Rating: B-

Amy is caught cheating at roulette in Roan Cavello’s casino. He has his security men escort her to his interrogation room. Eventually they strike a deal where Amy will pay off her debt to Roan by being his submissive mistress for six weeks.

Red Handed started off badly, but then improved as the story went on. In the beginning it was a little creepy how Roan was attracted to Amy and vice versa. A large suspension of disbelief was needed. I found it hard to believe that Amy would find Roan attractive in her situation. Once I got past that, the story started to engross me and these two people seemed to fit well together. I liked seeing Roan who keeps very tight control of himself lose it when he finds Amy threatened by a client of his.

Title: The Deal
Author: Anya Bast
Rating: B

Cassidy was stood up at the altar by her fiancé Damian a year ago. Since then, she has been good friends with James Carter and finding herself attracted to him more than just as friends. She is afraid of ruining her friendship with him by taking it to the next level. Jack has no such qualms and proposes a “friends with benefits” deal. For the next five nights they play a round of blackjack and whoever wins gets to choose the sexual encounter.

The Deal was a fun story. Jack and Cassidy are normal, likable people. Cassidy has her hang-ups though. She is really worried about getting hurt again so she doesn’t want to get close to anyone. Jack is having none of it though and does his best to win her over. The sex was pretty creative and yet the author conveyed that it wasn’t just the sex, but a connection between the two characters. Eventually, Cassidy has to confront her past in order to move on and she does.

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Series Sunday - The Black Dagger Brotherhood

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last few years and haven't heard of this series I will briefly introduce you to it. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a race of vampire warriors. They live in the United States in upstate New York. The vampire race lives among humans without their knowledge and are on the verge of extinction. These warriors are Bad Ass and are off the charts ALPHA! They are fighting a war against a group of baddies, known as lessors.

I have to admit I really like this series and can't seem to get enough. I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan girl. I am not a member of J.R. Ward's message boards, nor to I subscribe to the Black Dagger Brotherhood Yahoo Group, but I do find this series addicting. Ward has created characters so vivid and memorable that they stay with you long after the written word has past. Here are the books in publishing order:

1. Dark Lover (Wrath)
2. Lover Eternal (Rhage)
3. Lover Awakened (Zsadist)
4. Lover Revealed (Butch)
5. Lover Unbound (Vishous)
6. Lover Enshrined (Phury)
7. The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide Featuring a novella, Father Mine with Zsadist and Bella
8. Lover Avenged (Rehvenge)
9. Lover Mine (John Matthew)

I am currently reading The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide. Whoa buddy! It sure is interesting reading. I will be posting my thoughts on it as soon as I finish it.

Review - The Rest Falls Away

Title: The Rest Falls Away
Author: Colleen Gleason
Publishing Date: 2007
Genre: Paranormal (Historical)
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Warm

Victoria Gardella’s family has a unique legacy. Her family has been fighting vampires for centuries. Recently she has been having strange dreams. These dreams are a trigger for Victoria’s heritage. She seeks out her Aunt for answers. She finds that she has been chosen and such begins her training as a vampire slayer.

There are two men Victoria is drawn to; Phillip of Rockley, a Marquess whom she met when she was just a young girl and Sebastian Vioget who remains a mystery but stirs unfamiliar feelings within her. Three, if you count Maximilian Pesaro, master vampire executioner. Victoria accepts her calling as a vampire slayer, but seeks a balance of normalcy in her life. She is willing to go out patrolling for vampires at night, but she also wants to attend balls and be a part of normal society. This is one of the main conflicts driving Victoria in this book.

The world building and vampire mythology was very well developed. The vampire lore involved religion in a believable way, adding a unique twist to vampires. I like Victoria, from what I know of her so far. She is a practical girl and yet she is also hopeful. I feel like we have just scratched the surface of her personality.

The pacing of the book seemed unbalanced to me. At certain times, especially in the beginning, it took a while to for the story to grab a hold of my interest. Scenes with Victoria’s mother and her friends were especially annoying. Yet there were certain passages that I seemed to speed through. These were the passages with Victoria and Phillip and the climatic ending.

Another thing that bothered me was the abrupt changes between passages. One scene would end and then the next would start up days or weeks later. Lots of time would pass between scenes. It seemed to me the author was only highlighting those scenes she thought were most important.

I think this series shows a lot of promise and I am intrigued to see where the author is headed with the next book.



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