Review - The Laird Takes a Bride by Lisa Berne

The Laird Takes a Bride by Lisa Berne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Laird Takes a Bride, the second Penhallow Dynasty novel by author Lisa Berne, is vastly different than the first novel in the series, You May Kiss the Bride, in the best way. From the beginning, I was hooked on the characters of Fiona Douglass and Alasdair Penhallow, and couldn't wait to see how they got to their happily-ever-after.

It was another long, kind of winding story, similar to the first, however the characters felt much more fleshed out and three-dimensional, which made all the difference. Berne gave the reader perspectives from both protagonists both together and apart, which was great at developing them into real people.

An archaic clan law stipulates that Alasdair Penhallow, the laird, must wed one of the unmarried daughters of the clans. Fiona Douglass is one of those daughters, and has no interest in marrying the laird. A series of events take place (along with some truly well-written banter by Berne) that lead to Fiona being the only choice available, so reluctantly they wed.

What follows is a series of ups and downs in their relationship that will leave your head spinning, culminating in a very satisfying happily-ever-after. Would recommend.

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Review: You May Kiss the Bride - Lisa Berne

You May Kiss the Bride by Lisa Berne
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

You May Kiss the Bride is the first in Lisa Berne's Penhallow Dynasty series. The story focuses on Gabriel Penhallow, a very wealthy and prominent gentleman in search of a bride, and Livia Stuart, the orphaned country girl he accidentally gets engaged to.

The plot of this novel is very long and rambling, and seems to get lost completely at times. Overall summed up: guy reluctantly gets married, girl agrees. Unfortunately I could not bring myself to like either of the main characters. Gabriel seemed for the majority of the book to be nothing more than a puppet of his overbearing grandmother, and it never felt like the reader got a good sense of who he was as a person outside of interactions with Livia. Livia, the heroine, started out plucky and courageous, eager to stand up for herself, but it felt like a quarter of the way into the book she became a whipped puppy who only lashed out occasionally, and blended into the woodwork the rest of the time.

I will be continuing the Penhallow Dynasty series, and am hopeful that the subsequent books are a little better.

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Review - The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham

The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the third book in her Secrets of Charlotte Street series, Scarlett Peckham tells the story of a minister who preaches to prostitutes and a woman who aspires to be a whipping governess - a most unlikely duo, but somehow Peckham weaves a tale that is both believable and full of emotion.

The most striking thing about this novel was how real the characters felt while you were reading. Lord Lieutenant Henry Evesham, a Methodist evangelical, who had appeared as an antagonist in the previous book in the series (The Earl I Ruined), is in this novel humanized as a man who is constantly struggling between faith and earthly desires. Both from his point of view (full of parenthetical asides that add needed levity to an otherwise heavy book) and from snippets of his journal, we see him grappling with himself and his faith in a way that feels fully authentic. The heroine, Alice Hull, who is a housekeeper at the highly secretive Charlotte Street whipping club, also deals with her own issues of lost faith and balancing one’s own desires with doing what one believes to be the right thing.

Overall this is another excellent book by Scarlett Peckham. As in the previous two books in the series, this novel is especially angst-ridden, and it is a hard-won battle for the protagonists to get to their happy-ever-after. In the end, though, the struggle (and the read) is worth it! Can’t wait to see what this author does next!


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Review - The Duchess in His Bed by Lorraine Heath

The Duchess in His Bed by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In The Duchess in His Bed, the fourth book in the Sins for All Seasons series, Lorraine Heath weaves a masterful story of desire, deception and love. While reading the previous books in the series will help the reader to understand more of the side characters and events in the book, it is also able to be read as a stand-alone novel.

The Duchess in His Bed focuses on Aiden Trewlove, the enigmatic owner of the Elysium Club, an exclusive gaming and entertainment club for women. Aiden has a strict policy of not engaging any of his club’s patrons in anything beyond harmless flirtation - until Selena Sheffield, Duchess of Lushing walks in and asks him to bed her. Aiden is captivated by Selena and together they embark on a series of lessons in seduction, where her growing feelings for him may unravel her secret plans.

Heath, as always, does an outstanding job of taking circumstances that seem entirely foreign to modern readers and making them personal and immediate. Present-day readers will likely never have to worry about laws of primogeniture or observing proper mourning rituals, but Heath is able to make these issues seem as real as any issues that plague modern relationships. Through her intense characterization the protagonists come to life - they are not fictional historical characters but instead are real, living people. The reader can’t help but feel as though the lives of Aiden and Selena don’t end at the epilogue, but that they continue to live their lives in the world she has created, day after day.

Overall, a great story with excellent characters, definitely one to read!

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book from HarperCollins

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Review - A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath

A Duke of Her Own by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lorraine Heath’s A Duke of Her Own, the first of the Rogues and Roses books, focuses on Lady Louisa Wentworth and the Duke of Hawkhurst. Louisa is an earl’s daughter, but the estate is impoverished. Deciding to take her life into her own hands, Louisa begins a career as a social chaperone for a pair of American heiresses seeking titled husbands, Jenny and Kate Rose. Hawkhurst, himself desperately in need of funds, sets his sights on marrying Miss Jenny Rose. The only problem is her chaperone, whom he can’t seem to ignore.

In this book Heath tells a different story than she has in other novels. The protagonists honestly don’t seem to get along much at all, and neither seems very likeable. Both are very flawed individuals. Louisa is far too judgemental and Hawk is too secretive. Although both overcome these traits, that doesn’t come until the end of the book and feels rather rushed. The end of the story leaves many characters’ arcs unconcluded, and feels a bit unfulfilling. Overall it felt the book was lacking in true emotion, which is a vast departure from many of Heath’s other works.

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Review - Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas

Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The final book in Lisa Kleypas’ Bow Street Runners series, Worth Any Price, focuses on Nick Gentry, the infamous thieftaker and underworld mogul turned Runner. Nick was previously introduced in Lady Sophia's Lover as Sophia’s believed-dead brother. Having survived the prison hulk he was sentenced to at fourteen, Nick has done what he must to create a place for himself in the world. When unscrupulous choices compel him into becoming a Bow Street Runner and complying with the law, Nick aims to and becomes the best on the force. A private assignment to recover a missing young woman leads him to discover Charlotte Howard. Rather than marry the man her parents have promised her to, she’s been in hiding for two years. Rather than return her to her erstwhile betrothed, Nick decides to marry her himself. Now the two must learn to live together and discover what kind of relationship they could have.

As always, Kleypas weaves an interesting and compelling story that is hard to put down. The book is both deeply erotic and starkly emotional. The hero, Nick, has studied all forms of lovemaking with an eminent madam, and is eager to put his lessons to good use - leading to some very steamy bedroom scenes. Nick’s past, however, becomes a major hurdle that both he and Charlotte have to struggle to overcome. It seems as though it is difficult to write a brooding, mysterious main character when he is one of the point-of-view protagonists, but Kleypas manages to illuminate enough of his character while keeping some shrouded in mystery that it works. Overall a great read, and a satisfying ending to the trilogy.

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Review - Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas

Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Sophia’s Lover is the second book in Lisa Kleypas’ Bow Street Runners series, and focuses on Sir Ross Cannon, the stern head magistrate of the Bow Street court system, and Sophia Seymour, a young woman he hires to be his assistant and housekeeper. Sophia has a vendetta against Ross and is determined to make him fall in love with her, and then break his heart. However, she finds that she can’t gain his heart without losing her own.

This book is quite a departure from the previous book in the series, where the male protagonist at times seemed a bit unlikeable. Both Ross and Sophia are both interesting, compelling characters, and their story is both engaging and erotic. As far as romance novels go, this one is especially steamy, with blatant desire burgeoning at their first meeting in the opening pages of the book. Kleypas expertly transformed the staid Sir Ross, introduced first in Someone to Watch Over Me, from a fairly boring side character into a passionate hero. There is a surprise twist that occurs in the second half of the book, and Kleypas executed it and its conclusion admirably. Overall this is an excellent read!

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