Review: Never Seduce a Scot

Title: The Montgomerys and the Armstrongs #1: Never Seduce a Scot

Author: Maya Banks

Date of Publication: September 25, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but outsiders consider her “touched.” Beautiful, fey, with a level, intent gaze, she doesn’t speak. No one, not even her family, knows that she cannot hear. Content with her life of seclusion, Eveline has taught herself to read lips and allows the outside world to view her as daft. But when an arranged marriage into a rival clan makes Graeme Montgomery her husband, Eveline accepts her duty—unprepared for the delights to come. Graeme is a rugged warrior with a voice so deep and powerful that his new bride can hear it, and hands and kisses so tender and skilled that he stirs her deepest passions.

Graeme is intrigued by the mysterious Eveline, whose silent lips are ripe with temptation and whose bright, intelligent eyes can see into his soul. As intimacy deepens, he learns her secret. But when clan rivalries and dark deeds threaten the wife he has only begun to cherish, the Scottish warrior will move heaven and earth to save the woman who has awakened his heart to the beautiful song of a rare and magical love.

My Review:

Never Seduce a Scot has been a priority on my reading list for a few weeks now. Because I started with the second book in this series I'd heard a lot of references to this novel and I was eager to go back to the beginning and see where it all began. With a disabled heroine, the promise of a heartfelt romance, and hints of plenty of action there was no way this book would disappoint.  

First of all I have to start with the fact that I absolutely loved Eveline. There is a special place in my heart for disabled main characters and the more I read about Eveline and what happened to her the more I loved her. When I read about her near death experience that took her hearing I knew I was going to like her, and later when I read about everything she had to endure at the hands of the Montgomery clan, I knew I was going to love her. Banks created a villain I love to hate in Ian, and I loved seeing him in the flesh, rather than just the ghost of his actions lingering behind, like in the second book. Though he was undoubtedly evil the moments where he was around were the most exciting and I loved watching the drama unfold. 

Romances with disabled main characters are quite possibly my favorite romances in the world. So it was no surprise to me that I adored the romance between Graeme and Eveline. The loss of her hearing added a whole new dimension to their relationship and I loved watching Graeme slowly fall in love with her despite everyone telling him not to. Though I didn't feel that Graeme was as fleshed out as Eveline I still enjoyed reading about him, I just wish I had been able to learn more about him. He was an interesting character, but overall he just fell a little flat. 

Though overall I enjoyed this novel I was a little disappointed in that I thought there would be more action than there actually was. After reading so many references to events in this novel I thought Never Seduce a Scot was going to be full of action and excitement with a healthy dose of romance thrown in. However, this book moves at a more leisurely pace with the most exciting part of the novel only taking about one chapter toward the end. The pace ended up working for the story, and I enjoyed the chance to get to know Eveline during the slower beginning, but I just wish the exciting moments had been given a little more than just a chapter here and there. 

At the end of the day Never Seduce a Scot is a fun and entertaining read that fans of historical romance will no doubt devour. I really enjoyed my first series by Maya Banks and I'm excited to check out more of her work in the future! 

4/5

Review: Highlander Most Wanted

Title: The Montgomerys and the Armstrongs #2: Highlander Most Wanted

Author: Maya Banks

Date of Publication: March 19, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.

Genevieve McInnes is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.

My Review:

Yet again I find myself starting with the second book in a series, which seems to be my usual though it's never intended. Thankfully this is another series where it's not necessary to start with the first book and I had no problems understanding any of the plot. Though I wasn't expecting much from this novel it turned out to be a very enjoyable read and I ended up really enjoying the story and the great dynamic between the characters.

I didn't immediately love our heroine, Genevieve, but I came around to her distant personality and quickly gained respect for her after learning what she had gone through. Banks created the perfect monster in Ian and his father Patrick and the horrors Genevieve went through chilled me to my bones. After reading about what she went through it was impossible to believe that she would ever be able to love again but Banks created the perfect hero in Bowen and I loved watching her transformation from a distant woman with a past full of horrors into the sweet and lovable woman she was at the end of the novel.

The romance between Bowen and Genevieve was absolutely adorable. I loved watching her overcome her past and fall in love and I adored Bowen for being there for her every step of the way. Strong and protective Bowen was my favorite kind of hero and I was swooning throughout the whole novel. The perfect blend between sweet and sensual Banks created the perfect romance for Genevieve and I enjoyed watching every moment of her transformation. I'm definitely excited to see a cameo of her in future novels and see how far she's come!

My only complaint about this novel was that Bowen and Genevieve constantly made every situation harder than it needed to be. I don't want to give anything away but, toward the end especially, they were driving me up the wall with how stupid they were being. I hate watching characters do everything the hard way and, while I guess it makes for a more interesting story, it just made me frustrated with the both of them. Thankfully they figured it out in the end but honestly, this book would have been 50 pages shorter if they had been smart in the first place, instead of putting themselves in the most difficult situation possible.

At the end of the day however this was an enjoyable novel and I'll definitely be picking up the first one in the series. I definitely recommend this novel to fans of historical romance with an exciting and original plot!

4/5

Review: Annie's Song

Title: Annie's Song

Author: Catherine Anderson

Date of Publication: January, 1996

Formats Available: Paperback

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Annie Trimble lives in a solitary world that no one enters or understands. As delicate and beautiful as the tender blossoms of the Oregon spring, she is shunned by a town that misinterprets her affliction. But cruelty cannot destroy the love Annie holds in her heart.
Alex Montgomery is horrified to learn his wild younger brother forced himself on a helpless "idiot girl." Tormented by guilt, Alex agrees to marry her and raise the babe she carries as his own. But he never dreams he will grow to cherish his lovely, mute, and misjudged Annie; her childlike innocence, her womanly charms and the wondrous way she views her world. He becomes determined to break through the wall of silence surrounding her; to heal... and to be healed by Annie's sweet song of love.

My Review:

It's been a week or so since I finished this novel and I'm still trying to gather my thoughts in order to properly right a review, though I have a feeling it's going to take much longer and probably another reading before I can even begin to put how I feel about this book into words. I've never read a book that I've loved the same way I love this one, and I have a feeling I never will. 

Reading Annie's Song is like riding a roller coaster of emotions, this book is sweet, heartbreaking, and everything else in between. There were times when I thought I was going to cry, because this book couldn't possibly get any more sad, then a few pages later I thought I was going to cry because it couldn't get any more sweet. Anderson really knows how to pull at your heartstrings and turn a depressing situation into an overwhelmingly sweet one. This novel could not possibly been executed any more perfectly and I have to applaud Anderson for writing a novel I literally cannot say one bad thing about. 

I instantly loved Annie and her naive outlook on the world. There was something endearing in her innocence and learning what she had gone through broke my heart. I've always had a soft spot for disabled main characters and the fact that Annie was so sheltered from the world made everything that happened to her even more devastating. I loved watching her grow from scared and child-like into a strong and confident woman, with Alex helping her every step of the way. Alex was an amazing hero and though he starts off a little gruff I loved watching the sweet and selfless side of him shine through as he began to learn more about Annie. Annie couldn't possibly have asked for a better, and more loving, hero than Alex. 

But in the end, what really got me was the romance. I've always loved the sweet romances more than the raunchy ones and Annie's Song is the definition of a sweet and heartwarming romance. Alex was the perfect hero, putting his needs aside and throwing everything he had into giving Annie the life she always deserved, but never had. Watching the romance develop between them, and seeing how much Alex loved Annie, was heartwarming and I loved every second of their time together; from the beginning when Alex thought she was simpleminded, to the moment he realized she was deaf, and the second he fell in love with her.  

Annie's Song has easily taken the place as one of my favorite books of all time. It's rare that I finish a novel and have the urge to flip to the beginning and read it all over again, but I'm already trying to figure out when I have a break in my reading schedule to read this one again. Hands down one of the best books I've ever read.

5/5

Short Story Saturday: The Princess of Egypt Must Die

Title: The Princess of Egypt Must Die

Author: Stephanie Dray

Date of Publication: December 5, 2013

Formats Available: E-book

Number of Pages: 56

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Before she became one of Egypt's greatest queens, she was a lonely princess who ached to belong...

Princess Arsinoe came of age in the glittering court of Ptolemaic Egypt. Abused by her ruthless sister, a pawn in the dynastic ambitions of her father, and dismissed by the king who claimed her for a bride, young Arsinoe finds herself falling in love with a young man forbidden to her. She dreams of a great destiny, but if she is ever to rule Egypt, she must first survive the nest of vipers otherwise known as her family.

My Review:

I've always been fascinated by Egyptian history so when I saw this short story for free on Amazon I just knew that I had to download it. I don't know as much about Egypt's history as I would like so I was excited to start this story and hopefully learn a little bit in the process. I've never heard of Arsinoe and her story was interesting and heartbreaking, unfortunately I felt like The Princess of Egypt Must Die just didn't quite do justice to what could have been a fascinating story.

Because of the short length I felt like the majority of the story was rushed and not very well put together. I was thrown into the world of Arsinoe without any prior knowledge and had to piece together little everything along the way. Additionally this story is a very dramatic one; full of lying, backstabbing, and deceit, however because of the rushed feel of the story I felt like a lot of the suspense and drama was lost because the author was in such a hurry to move from one event to the other. I felt like this story was a summary rather than an actual short story. 

Even though Arsinoe was somewhat developed I felt like all the secondary characters were nothing more than shells. I barely knew anyone in the story other than Arsinoe and because of the nature of the story I felt like I needed to know the secondary characters a little more to truly appreciate it. There was lots to learn about each of the characters, and they each had their own angle, but they were barely skimmed over in order to move more quickly to the next event. 

I wouldn't say this was a bad short story, just because of the original and fascinating premise, but it just wasn't long enough to make it truly amazing. Had it been a full length novel, which would have given each of the events enough time to be properly executed and allowed all of the secondary characters to develop more of a personality, I would have enjoyed it much more. Fans of Egyptian history will be interested by the story but this novel feels more like a summary than an actual work of fiction.  

3/5

Review: Secrets of a Summer Night

Title: Wallflowers #1: Secrets of a Summer Night

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Date of Publication: November 28, 2006

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing--and persistent--admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.

Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon--and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

My Review:

Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite historical authors, I just love her characters and the romantic regency world she always pulls me into. When I read the 4th book in the series (since I never end up reading the first book first!) I didn't remember seeing much of Annabelle but I loved getting to know her in this novel. She was so fun to read about and I can't wait to see cameos of her and Simon in future novels! 

I ended up reading almost this entire novel with a goofy little smile on my face because I just loved the interactions between Annabelle and Simon. Though Annabelle starts of hating him Simon's quirky charm shines through and I loved watching Annabelle come to the realization that she loved him. I've always been a sucker for romance novels where the heroine hates the hero but he just won't give up on her, and this was a perfect example of one of my favorite devices. Simon was the perfect hero, even when he heard the worst about Annabelle his feelings about her refused to be swayed. Romantic and charming I fell in love with Simon right along with Annabelle and I couldn't help but swoon with every stolen moment. 

Not only did this novel have a good romance but I really enjoyed the side story about Annabelle's difficulties regarding finances and what her mother had to go through to pay for Annabelle's season. Full of drama and compromising situations, not to mention the absolutely perfect villain, it was a little sad to read about, but made for a really good story. Plus the blossoming friendship between the Wallflowers was so fun to watch, since I ended up reading the 4th book in this series first I liked seeing how their friendship began and seeing each of the girls from a new set of eyes. 

One of the things I loved the most about this novel was that Kleypas included the story after the happily ever after. So often romances, especially historical ones, that end in marriage rarely continue with the characters after that point. However, a good fourth of Secrets of a Summer Night focuses on the time after the marriage between Annabelle and Simon. I loved reading about the time after their marriage, especially since it wasn't the blissful happiness most romance novels make marriage out to be. Annabelle and Simon had their share of problems, from fights to fitting in with each other's friends and family, but I really enjoyed seeing the story that comes after what we consider a "happily ever after". 

Kleypas is one of the most talented historical romance authors out there and I just can't get enough of her novels. I would highly recommend any novel by Kleypas to those looking for a good historical read or looking to try out the historical romance genre. 

4/5

Review: Fool Me Twice

Title: Rules for Reckless #2: Fool Me Twice

Author: Meredith Duran

Date of Publication: March 25, 2014

Formats Available: Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Sensible and lonely, Olivia Mather survives by her wits—and her strict policy of avoiding trouble. But when she realizes that the Duke of Marwick might hold the secrets of her family’s past, she does the unthinkable, infiltrating his household as a maid. She’ll clean his study and rifle through his papers looking for information.

Alastair de Grey has a single reason to live: vengeance. More beautiful than Lucifer, twice as feared, and thrice as cunning, he’ll use any weapon to punish those who fooled and betrayed him—even an impertinent maid who doesn’t know her place. But the more fascinated he becomes with the uppity redhead, the more dangerous his carefully designed plot becomes. For the one contingency he forgot to plan for was falling in love…and he cannot survive being fooled again.

My Review:

Fool Me Twice started off with a lot of potential. I loved the idea of a maid searching the house of a rich Duke to clear her name; however as the novel quickly started to take on darker tones the less I started to like it. Though the writing itself was good I just couldn't get my self into the story because of how much I ended up hating the characters and lackluster plot.

The number one thing I disliked about this novel was our hero, Alastair. Cruel, abusive, and brooding, the more I read about him the more I hated him. There was absolutely no affection between him and Olivia and he spent the bulk of the novel plotting all the ways in which he wanted to hurt her and then (sort of) forcing her to have sex with him. Though she never said no she never said yes either and that bordered so closely to the edge of rape that I just wasn't okay with it. Not only that but Alastair didn't even feel a bit of remorse later, I might have had at least a smidge of respect for him if he felt bad later, but he only got more abusive as the novel went on, making me absolutely hate him. 

Olivia wasn't as bad as Alastair but I didn't particularly care for her either. She had an interesting back story but I spent most of the novel just plain confused about what that whole back story was. I think Duran was going for a slow reveal of information to keep the reader guessing but she didn't reveal enough in the beginning of the story to make me curious about what happened next, I was just plain confused. Not to mention she was such a pushover when it came to Alastair; instead of standing up for herself she lets him use her over and over again. There were moments she was so dumb I wanted to throw this novel across the room. 

Honestly, the only redeemable aspect of this novel was the cover, and maybe some of the side characters. Polly, Jones, and the other maids occasionally me laugh and even though they irritated me a little sometimes I enjoyed the banter between them and Oliva. They were the most real characters in the whole novel, though annoying they added at least a bit of lightheartedness to an otherwise dark and abusive tale. I didn't like them, but they were honestly the most likable characters in the whole novel.

Though the premise sounds interesting I just can't recommend this novel. Fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and the like may enjoy it but as someone who doesn't care much for semi- abusive characters and dubious consent I just couldn't enjoy this one.

1/5

Review: Treasure, Darkly

Title: Treasure, Darkly

Author: Jordan Elizabeth

Date of Publication: February 15, 2015

Formats Available: Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon.com

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe… until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead.

A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged, mining tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he.

Sixteen-year-old Amethyst Treasure loathes the idea of spending the summer away from her bustling city life to rot on her father’s ranch, but when a handsome young man shows up claiming to be her secret half-brother, her curiosity is piqued. He’s clever, street smart, and has no qualms jumping into the brawl between the Treasures and Horans. Caught in the middle, Horan kidnaps Amethyst, and all she gets is this lousy bullet through her heart.

When Clark brings her back to life, however, the real action starts, and Amethyst joins him in his fight against the Horan clan—whatever the cost. Defeating the Horans may seem easy at first, but going up against men with the same fighting vengeance as Clark, and a Senator with power he’s obtained by brainwashing the masses?

Well, Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.

My Review:

Let me just start this review by saying that the cover of this novel is one of the most beautiful, amazing, fantastic, awesome, brilliant covers I have ever seen in my life. The second I saw the cover of this novel I knew I wanted to read it and I just have to give the biggest shout out in the world to the person who designed it, because honestly it's just gorgeous. Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, on to the actual review!

Treasure, Darkly is one of those novels that's going to be interesting to review because I'm just so on the fence about how I feel about it. The novel started off interesting enough, with Clark stealing a vial of what he though was absinthe, and instead gaining some cool preternatural abilities. Though his abilities are fascinating, they really take a backseat to the rest of the drama going on in the novel, and I wish we could have seen them in action a little more. However, with the army after him, a long lost father to learn about, inventions to find, and a new family to meet there was plenty going on in this novel to keep me turning pages.

When Clark is taken in by the Treasures, and instantly accepted, the action really picks up and I absolutely loved the western/steampunk setting. Elizabeth really did a fantastic job with the world building and I loved learning more about the world she created. From steamcycles to evil ranchers this novel had it all. The only problem I had with the plot was that there was no resolution to any of the conflicts, there are so many story arcs going on that  I figured at least one of them would have been resolved. Instead all we get is a rather abrupt ending that had almost nothing to do with the main story. 

Though there were a lot of good things about this novel there were a few that really bothered me too. First of all there was just something about Clark that rubbed me the wrong way. I don't quite know what it was about him but as the novel went on I started to like him less and less. His cocky attitude and some of his inner dialogue had me quickly losing respect for him and toward the end of the novel I just couldn't stand him anymore. Amethyst, on the other hand, had a bit of a flat personality but wasn't as bad as Clark. Though for the amount of times she was kidnapped you would think she would have some sort of reaction, but she just goes back to lusting after Clark instead. 

Maybe part of the reason I disliked Clark as much as I did was because of his relationship with Amethyst. The romance in this novel was so lewd and lust driven that reading about Clark and Amethyst honestly made me uncomfortable. There was absolutely no mutual affection between them and some of the inner dialogue Clark had about Amethyst was just plain disgusting. I wanted to root for them, I really did, but in the end I just couldn't do it. 

Though there were a lot of things I really enjoyed about this novel, mainly the setting and the steampunk elements, the romance made me feel so icky that I had to knock this one down a little bit. Overall not a bad read, but I could have done without the romance.

3/5

*I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review. 

Review: The Winter Bride

Title: Chance Sisters #2: The Winter Bride

Author: Anne Gracie

Date of Publication: April 1, 2014

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Award-winning author Anne Gracie delivers the second in her enticing new series about four young women facing a life of destitution—until a daring act changes their fortune and turns them each into a beautiful bride…

Damaris Chance’s unhappy past has turned her off the idea of marriage forever. But her guardian, Lady Beatrice Davenham, convinces her to make her coming out anyway—and have a season of carefree, uncomplicated fun.

When Damaris finds herself trapped in a compromising situation with the handsome rake Freddy Monkton-Coombes, she has no choice but to agree to wed him—as long as it’s in name only. Her new husband seems to accept her terms, but Freddy has a plan of his own: to seduce his reluctant winter bride.

Will Damaris’s secrets destroy her chance at true happiness? Or can Freddy help her cast off the shackles of the past, and yield to delicious temptation?

My Review:

Even though there's nothing spectacular about The Winter Bride, it's one of those novels that's just so fun to read that it's impossible not to love it. I couldn't help but get swept away in the romance between Freddy and Damaris and quickly found myself completely pulled in by the story. In my typical fashion I didn't start with the first one (when do I ever?) but I would recommend reading the first one in the series first, though I wasn't confused there were a few mentioned events that took place in the first novel.

I instantly loved Damaris, she was sweet and quiet but also a little sassy when she needed to be. I was fascinated by her back story and Gracie did a great job revealing just enough about her past to keep me turning pages to find out what the real story was. Damaris has been though a lot, I loved reading about her beginnings in China, her missionary father, and everything she went through to get back to England. Freddy's back story wasn't as exciting but I loved his personality and his reputation as a rake, though he does have his share of hardship in his past.

What really made this novel shine was the interactions between characters, especially between Damaris and Freddy's parents. Damaris wasn't afraid to say what needed to be said and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue between Damaris and Freddy's parents. I also adored the relationship between Freddy and Damaris, they were so cute together and suited each other perfectly. They both started off completely opposed to marriage but as the novel went on, and Freddy pulled out the charm, they both started to change their minds.

Plot wise there was nothing particularly exciting but I enjoyed it all the same. Though the synopsis talks about a "compromising situation" it took almost the entire novel to get there, and even then it wasn't really what I was picturing, but it worked all the same. Hands down the best part of the novel was the end when Freddy's protectiveness toward Damaris shines through. Freddy changed a lot as a character and the ending is what really highlights his change from a disreputable rake to someone Darmaris can truly love and count on, plus it was just adorable reading about how much the love eachother!

The Winter Bride is one of my favorite historical novels so far and I'm super excited to get my hands on the rest of the series. Fans of historical romance will no doubt fall in love with this one and I highly recommend it to new and old fans of this historical genre!

4/5

Review: Just Like Heaven

Title: Smythe-Smith Quartet #1: Just Like Heaven

Author: Julia Quinn

Date of Publication: May 31, 2011

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Honoria Smythe-Smith is:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child
C) not in love with her older brother's best friend
D) all of the above

Marcus Holroyd is:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) not in love with his best friend's younger sister
D) all of the above

Together they:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever and the world's worst musical performance
C) fall quite desperately in love

It's Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is ...
D) all of the above

My Review:

Just Like Heaven was one of those reads that, while it was super cute, I finished the novel not really having much to say. There was just nothing new or exciting about this novel that grabbed my interest and while I would say overall it was good, I just don't have anything memorable to remark on.

I really liked Honoria and Marcus and their relationship was adorable, though I wish there had been more time for them to interact. I felt like much of the novel was dedicated to Marcus being sick and Honoria nursing him, which is an okay plot device, but it didn't give them much time to really display their personalities. I didn't necessarily feel distant from them but I didn't feel as connected to them as I would have if more of the novel had been spent on situations that would have caused more character development.

Romance wise the novel was good, but just so uneventful that I don't have much to say about it. Honoria and Marcus moved at a good pace and their relationship was believable, but there just wasn't any spark to it. The end of the novel was cute, especially when he brought her flowers, but unfortunately it just didn't speak to me the same way other romance novels have in the past.

Hands down the best part of this novel was the humor. I wouldn't say it was laugh out loud funny, but the situations Honoria found herself in always made me smile. The quartet and their horrendous music, not to mention all their arguments, kept me entertained and the drama at the end of the book made it all worth it. However, I just wish there had been more events in the story that were significant, there were only two major events, Marcus's illness and the concert, so in the end I finished the novel wishing I could have seen all the characters in more situations so I could have gotten to know them better.

Even though there was nothing attention grabbing about this novel I'm still interested enough in some of the secondary characters to put the next novel on my to read list. Julia Quinn is one of the biggest names in historical romance and, while I wasn't overly impressed with my first novel by her, I can see why her books are so appealing.

3/5

Review: Scandal in Spring

Title: Wallflowers #4: Scandal in Spring

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Date of Publication: July 25, 2006

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy this Book: Amazon

Synopsis: After spending three London seasons searching for a husband, Daisy Bowman's father has told her in no uncertain terms that she must find a husband. Now. And if Daisy can't snare an appropriate suitor, she will marry the man he chooses—the ruthless and aloof Matthew Swift.

Daisy is horrified. A Bowman never admits defeat, and she decides to do whatever it takes to marry someone . . . anyone . . . other than Matthew. But she doesn't count on Matthew's unexpected charm . . . or the blazing sensuality that soon flares beyond both their control. And Daisy discovers that the man she has always hated just might turn out to be the man of her dreams.

But right at the moment of sweet surrender, a scandalous secret is uncovered . . . one that could destroy both Matthew and a love more passionate and irresistible than Daisy's wildest fantasies.

My Review:

I've been on a huge historical kick lately, which is always a tricky genre for me, but this book was one of the ones I ended up really liking. I don't know what it is with me and historical series but I never read them in order, maybe it's because you don't really need to, but I just never seem to start with the first one. Anyway, I had no trouble understanding what was going on even though this one was the 4th in the series.

Right off the bat I absolutely loved Daisy, whimsical and always with her head in a book I felt like I could really relate to her. With her strong personality there were plenty of opportunities for hilarious banter between her and Matthew and I loved every moment of it. I really loved the development of not only Daisy and Matthew but all the secondary characters as well, even though I haven't read the first three books I still felt a connection to the rest of Daisy's friends and I'm even more eager to read their stories now that I know them a little bit!

The romance was absolutely wonderful. I loved watching the relationship between Daisy and Matthew develop from hate to love and everything else in between. Kleypas had a knack for putting them in hilarious and unusual situations and I really loved that, especially because I felt that it gave them the opportunity to get to know each other a little more unconventionally and that made their relationship feel more real. Plus I read the whole books with a big goofy grin on my face because, lets face it, this book was just plain cute.

Even though the novel was mostly focused on the romance I enjoyed the other side plots throughout the story. I was intrigued by Matthew's past and though I wasn't entirely surprised when everything was revealed I still enjoyed the drama it added to the story. Plus the little excitement about Daisy's sister having her baby and her sister's vehement dislike of Matthew also made for interesting plot points and I enjoyed the fact that there was a little bit more to this story than just romance.

Though I've heard that Scandal in Spring is the worst of the Wallflowers series I ended up really liking it and I'm excited to get my hands on the rest of the books in the series. I'm especially excited for Evie's story because, from what I can gather, hers sounds the most interesting. A great historical novel and I definitely recommend!

4/5

Special Offer: Right now you can get an audio book of Scandal in Spring (plus one more of your choosing!) for FREE on Amazon via Audible click  HERE to find out how! 

Review: India Black

Title: Madam of Espionage #1: India Black

Author: Carol K. Carr

Date of Publication: January 4, 2011

Formats Available: Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: When Sir Archibald Latham of the War Office dies from a heart attack while visiting her brothel, Madam India Black is unexpectedly thrust into a deadly game between Russian and British agents who are seeking the military secrets Latham carried.

Blackmailed into recovering the missing documents by the British spy known as French, India finds herself dodging Russian agents-and the attraction she starts to feel for the handsome conspirator.

My Review:

 After reading the first sentence of this novel I knew that I was going to like it. Full of action and adventure, as well as some colorful characters, this novel had all the elements of a great first novel. Though it wasn't perfect India Black would make for a good filler read, especially because it's so short (not even 300 pages) and the action keeps it moving along.

India was one of the most interesting characters I've read about in a long time. Right off the bat I liked her attitude and sassy commentary. It was interesting to read from the perspective of a character who enjoyed running a brothel and everything that went along with it. Most books I read that take place in a similar setting have characters who are stuck there or need the money, but India actually enjoys it. I also enjoyed reading about all of the secondary characters, Vincent was an interesting ally and I loved the slight sexual tension between India and French.

Even though the political details were a little on the dry side I really enjoyed the action that came along with them. Because of India's unique position as a madam of a brothel there were plenty of unusual situations for her to find herself in and her sassy personality made it all the better. I've never read a book quite like this one in regards to India's occupation, and I was intrigued by the day to day operations of the brothel she managed. However, she spends relatively little time there, except for in the beginning, so I'm hoping future books in the series will take place there a little bit more.

The one thing that frustrated me the most about this novel is that India and French were always finding themselves outsmarted by their opponents. For two fairly intelligent characters I found it hard to believe that when it came to trying to defeat their enemies they were so stupid. Even though their blunders made for plenty of action I felt like after awhile the author was using it to drag the novel rather than for important plot development. Though I will say that the ending was just that much more satisfying after having to go through so much to get there.

Even though India Black wasn't my absolute favorite read it was a entertaining read and a good filler book to read when there isn't really anything else. I'm intrigued by the ties between her and French and I'm interested to see where India finds herself in the future. Next time I need a book to pass the time the second book in this series is definitely on my list!

3/5

Review: Shades of Milk and Honey

Title: The Glamourist Histories #1: Shades of Milk and Honey

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Date of Publication: August 3, 2010

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Shades of Milk and Honey is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a version of Regency England where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. But despite the prevalence of magic in everyday life, other aspects of Dorchester’s society are not that different: Jane and her sister Melody’s lives still revolve around vying for the attentions of eligible men.

Jane resists this fate, and rightly so: while her skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face, and therefore wins the lion’s share of the attention. At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, Jane has resigned herself to being invisible forever. But when her family’s honor is threatened, she finds that she must push her skills to the limit in order to set things right–and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

My Review: 

I've never quite read a book like Shades of Milk and Honey; on one hand I was completely enchanted by the world Kowal had created, and on the other I finished this novel feeling a little unsatisfied, like something just hadn't quite added up in the end. Even though I enjoyed this novel so much while I was reading it sitting down to write this review opened my eyes a little bit to how many shortcomings this book really had.

Let me start with what I loved about this book, the number one thing being the writing. Kowal had a absolutely beautiful writing style and her style did an excellent job pulling me into the Regency world full of magic she had created. I loved the inclusion of glamour and I was fascinated by how the characters manipulated it. I also really enjoyed the personalities of each of the characters, Jane is the cliche underdog that we all end up rooting for because we all see a little part of us in her. Likewise, her sister was thee stereotypical beauty who appears to have it all, but really doesn't. Even though both of those characters have been done a million times it just works, stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason and Kowal used that to her best advantage.

The plot left me with some mixed feelings. While I was reading I wasn't bothered by the fact that most of the novel is consumed with the daily activities of Jane and her family. However, when I sat down to write this review I realized just how little happened in this novel. The end is exciting, and even though I saw the big finish coming a mile away, the ending had me glued to the page and I loved the action and excitement. However, other than those few pages at the end not much else happened other than dialogue between characters. I will give Kowal points for keeping me so engrossed in a novel where not much happens, but I just felt a little cheated by the time I got to the end of the novel.

My biggest complaint about this book was the "romance". It feels as though Kowal tacked the romance on at the end of the novel as an afterthought, without adding any threads of it in the beginning of the novel. I was shocked by the revelation of romance and I wasn't a fan of how fast everything moves after that. I felt as though Jane and her love interest had almost no interaction prior to the big revelation and when the truth finally came out it felt so random and unnecessary.

Overall I was intrigued enough by this novel to continue with the next couple books in the series but I also finished this novel feeling a little unsatisfied. Hopefully the next books in the series live up to the potential I saw in present in this one, Kowal has the ability to write a fantastic novel and I hope that the next books live up to how good she could be.

3/5

Excerpt: Knight of Love

Title: Knight of Love

Author: Catherine LaRoche

Date of Publiaction: June 9, 2014

Formats Available: E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: In this saucy romance, an English lady turns the damsel-in-distress tale on its head as she escapes her malicious fiancé and fights for both her life and that of the lustful rebel that has become her protector.

Lady Lenora Trevelyan, a naïve yet stubborn young lady born to the highest noble houses of England and Germany, finds herself betrothed to the brutal Prince Kurt von Rotenburg-Gruselstadt. But after she is cruelly bruised and flogged by her fiancé, she decides to take the reins of her fate. In the midst of a German revolution, Lenora escapes Kurt’s iron fist and embarks home to England. She quickly finds herself in the hands of a rebel group and their robust, gentle, and handsome leader, Wolfram von Wolfsbach und Ravensworth, the English Earl of Ravensworth.

Lenora struggles to deny the passion she feels towards the frustratingly chivalrous Earl but her desire for him continues to bloom. Wolfram hungers nothing other than to fight for democracy and civil rights in uniting Germany and to protect what he assumes is his damsel in distress. Through nights of immeasurable pleasure, Lenora and Wolfram learn that their passion is no match for the revolutionary chaos that ensues. And when Lenora discovers that her protector’s life is threatened, she must risk everything to save her Knight of Love.

Excerpt:

The German Confederation

February 1848

The first lash robbed her of breath.

The second granted her freedom.

If he’d go so far as to have her publicly flogged, she owed him no further loyalty. Any obligation remaining from their betrothal contact ended here, in this moment, with this lash.

Morally, she was free.

Now all she had to do was escape the bastard and make him pay.

As the second stroke landed, fire replaced the shock, and a hot slick of pain bloomed across her back. The coarse linen shift that a spying maid had forced her into provided no protection. It offered little modesty, either, from the uneasy crowd Kurt had gathered inside the castle gates to witness her punishment. She gritted her teeth and refused to cry out. A rough rope bound her wrists above her head to the flogging post. As her knees buckled, the  binding made her perversely glad; she doubted she could stand upright on her own.

Before arriving at this godforsaken pile of German stone, she—Lady Lenora Trevelyan, eldest child to the Duke and Duchess of Sherbrooke, third cousin to Queen Victoria’s German consort, His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha—had never been struck in her life. Now, in her three months at Schloss  Rotenburg, she’d lost count of her bruises.

At first, before her parents had returned home to England, Kurt hadn’t hit her—or “corrected her,” as it pleased that smug worm to call his slaps and blows. He claimed it was for her own good, of course, to teach and prepare her for her life as hisPrinzessin and mistress of Rotenburg.

She must carry out her duties perfectly, he’d hiss, tightening a grip on her arm until she knew she’d wear a band of purple bruises for a week. Or he’d strike out in sudden fury at some perceived failure of hers—she’d forgotten the name of one of his sainted ancestors in the castle’s gloomy portrait gallery, or made a minor grammatical mistake in her German, or not shown proper courtesy to a visiting Bürgermeister.

Tied now to the flogging post, she lost count after the third blow. She’d seen the long leather strap when the stable master, shamefaced, had bound her with muttered apologies and handed the lash to a muscled groom more accustomed to cracking it around stubborn horses than using it to beat highborn ladies. Now she could barely feel the individual strokes as they landed, only the waves of hot agony clenching her back and shoulders in a vise grip of pain.

Through the red haze blurring her vision, she saw Kurt standing nearby. Next to him, his sanctimonious toady minister prattled the Bible proverb of the virtuous wife whose price was far above rubies. The gleeful, twisted pleasure Kurt took in her pain radiated off his stork-like form like a sickening stench. She bit down on her lip and gathered her hatred of her fiancé like a babe to her breast.

It was all she had left to get her out of this hell.

When Kurt finally held up a hand to signal the groom to cease, her labored breath echoed in the silent crowd. She knew the townspeople didn’t approve of the public beating their prince had commanded for his foreign betrothed. No more than they believed his story that she’d agreed to a religious flagellation in humble preparation for becoming his pious and obedient wife. But Prince Kurt von Rotenburg-Gruselstadt ruled the castle and town with an iron fist. None would risk their lord’s wrath to stand up for her.

Kurt stepped to the front of the dais. “Lady Lenora bears her trial most nobly,” he announced to the crowd. “Her embrace of her suffering does honor to a bloodline that unites the highest noble houses of England and Germany.”

That bloodline, she knew well, was why he’d chosen her. The prig made no secret of his disdain for any born below the upper aristocracy. The Holy Roman emperor himself, Kurt often delighted to inform her, had conferred the title of Prinz upon the House of Rotenburg-Gruselstadt in the previous century. Her own background had led the matchmakers to judge them a perfect pair: her father’s ancient ducal title intermingled, like that of so many English peers these days, with noble blood from her Prussian princess mother.

No one had thought to mention that her fiancé had the temperament of a petulant demon on a bad day in hell.

As Kurt stalked toward her, she forced her knees to straighten. She was done being afraid of this man. He pulled back the torn linen shift to inspect her back. Despite her resolve not to cry out, she gasped as the frayed edges stuck to her skin.

“Beautiful work,” he murmured into her ear. “This is what a woman should look like. Chastised to a man’s authority, marked to her proper place.”

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Review: The Time Tutor

Title: The Time Tutor

Author: Bee Ridgway

Date of Publication: February 25, 2014

Formats Available: E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: When Alva receives an invitation from a man offering his services as a Time Tutor, she doesn't know what to think: Is he a time traveler or a charlatan? And does it really matter, when he is so devilishly attractive? The Time Tutor is a fast-paced romantic prequel to Bee Ridgway’s acclaimed novel, The River of No Return.

My Review:

It's been quite awhile since I read The River of No Return so I worried about being lost when I started reading this novella. However, I was quickly drawn into the story and it soon became obvious that I didn't need to remember anything about The River of No Return to really enjoy this short story. Ridgeway has a fantastic writing style that instantly pulled me back into the world secrets and time travel.

It was interesting to watch the interactions between Guild members and Hannelore and as the story went on I started to remember more about the conflict between the Guild and the Ofan. I'd forgotten what a fascinating take Ridgway had on time travel and I loved the sparkling descriptions of different time periods and the wonderfully written moment when Alva can finally feel the river of time. I was especially fascinated the the experiments Hannelore was conducting and I wish Ridgway had spent a little more time on them... my fingers are crossed for the sequel!

The romance was fun and kept the story moving along. It wasn't exactly a swoon worthy romance but I enjoyed it all the same; Dar and Alva have a chemistry that shines through the pages. Even though the romance moved extremely quickly, one thing I don't typically enjoy, it worked well for this novella and the little love triangle kept everything interesting.

Fans of the The River of No Return will no doubt adore getting the chance to take a peek at two of the more secondary characters from the first novel. After getting another little taste of Ridgeways writing I'm excited to get my hands on the sequel!

4/5

Review: The Trouble With Moonlight

Title: The Trouble With Moonlight

Author: Donna MacMeans

Date of Publication: June 3, 2008

Formats Available: Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: British spy James Locke has seen some odd events—but nothing quite as fantastical as when, in the midst of a moonlit safe-cracking mission, he witnesses a ruby necklace being spirited away as if by conjurer's trick. Following the jewels leads him to Lusinda Havershaw, who's inherited the talent of turning invisible in the moonlight—at least, the parts of her that are unclothed.

To support her sisters, Lusinda slips naked through the London night to recover lost or stolen items. After enlisting her reluctant services for the Crown, Locke trains Lusinda in espionage—though her close proximity is bewitchingly distracting. And as their mission to track Russian spies grows treacherous, they'll find that the heart behaves even more mysteriously than Lusinda in the moonlight.

My Review:

I picked up this novel looking for something a little different and while the plot was more on the original side I didn't find myself as impressed with this novel as I thought I would be. Even though I wouldn't exactly say this is a bad novel I'm extremely picky about regency romance and this one just blends in with the sea of other books of the same genre, only it's extreme cringeworthienss making it stand out.

I was very unimpressed with the beginning of this novel; lackluster characters and a weak plot made me consider putting this book down several times before I finally got to the point where I decided to stick it out. As the novel went on it most definitely improved, and by the end I found myself engrossed in the climax, but it was a little touch and go getting there. Even though the novel was a quick read, and a fairly fun one, the plot was definitely the weak link. I never fully understood what the "mission" James and Lusinda were on actually was or how it benefited anyone. I tend to space out during anything political (especially in books where I'm not all that invested) so maybe I missed something important... but to be honest it didn't end up making that much of a difference anyway. This isn't a novel that requires full attention.

Even though I wasn't expecting it based on the beginning the strongest aspect of The Trouble with Moonlight is the character development. Lusinda was a fairly average regency heroine but she was fun to read about and had her own set of little quirks, like being a thief, that gave her just a little bit of a spark. However, it was James that stole the show in terms of development. I was absolutely fascinated by his back story and I loved hearing about the little snippets from his past. Even though he spent the majority of the novel imagining Lusinda naked (which I promptly skipped over) I lived for the moments where he talked about his past or where he actually thought about Lusinda as a person instead of a sexual object. Lusinda's family was also surprisingly developed, especially her sister Portia. I enjoyed reading about the jealousy and cattiness between the siblings and watching that relationship change as the two sisters discovered more about each other.

The biggest problem I had with this novel was the number of cringe worthy moments, especially in the romance department. I had to set the novel down and compose myself when Lusinda lost her virginity (and any subsequent sex scenes) because the second hand embarrassment was almost too much to bear. To be honest this novel would have been much better without the awkward and forced romance, a little sexual tension here and there and I would have been satisfied. I felt like MacMeans was trying too hard to make the reader swoon and instead had the opposite effect and ended up scaring me away. I've read plenty of eye-roll worthy romance scenes but The Trouble with Moonlight definitely takes the cake for some of the most ridiculous.

Even though I wouldn't classify this novel as a "bad" book I still wouldn't exactly recommend it either. The hard to read moments paired with a weak plot canceled out points this novel had in its favor and at the end of the day this is a novel I'm going to have forgotten about a month from now. Fans of regency romance may want to skip this one in favor of a novel with a bit more substance.

3/5

Review: The River of No Return

Title: The River of No Return

Author: Bee Ridgway

Date of Publication: April 23, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: “You are now a member of the Guild. There is no return.” Two hundred years after he was about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, Nick Falcott, soldier and aristocrat, wakes up in a hospital bed in modern London. The Guild, an entity that controls time travel, showers him with life's advantages. But Nick yearns for home and for one brown-eyed girl, lost now down the centuries. Then the Guild asks him to break its own rule. It needs Nick to go back to 1815 to fight the Guild’s enemies and to find something called the Talisman.

In 1815, Julia Percy mourns the death of her beloved grandfather, an earl who could play with time. On his deathbed he whispers in her ear: “Pretend!” Pretend what? When Nick returns home as if from the dead, older than he should be and battle scarred, Julia begins to suspect that her very life depends upon the secrets Grandfather never told her. Soon enough Julia and Nick are caught up in an adventure that stretches up and down the river of time. As their knowledge of the Guild and their feelings for each other grow, the fate of the future itself is hanging in the balance.

My Review:

I've never read a book quite like The River of No Return, and I mean that in the best way possible. Stunningly original and full of a cast of fascinating characters, each from an entirely different time, I couldn't put down Ridgeways wonderful debut novel. Part time travel, part romance, a smidge mystery and everything else in between the River of No Return had it all!

The plot of The River of No Return absolutely blew me away. Complex and layered there was so much more to the story than what was merely on the surface. With subplots and interwoven clues I was never bored and found myself rapidly turning pages, eager to find out what happened next. I would have really liked more of the story from Julia's point of view but since the plot focused on Nick it was understandable that most of the novel would be from his perspective. The beginning did start out a little slow but once the plot got moving the multi-dimensional plot pulled me in and refused to let me go.

I loved the idea of Nick traveling forward in time then traveling back to his own time. So often in time travel novels the character moves one direction, whether back or forward, and must learn to adjust to that way of life. However, in this novel Nick first adjusts to living in the 21st century then must re-learn everything he needs to survive in the 1800's. Despite being a tad predictable half the fun was watching the characters get there. The ending leaves this novel open for a sequel (which I can't wait for!) but still manages to have a happy ending nonetheless.

Romance played a relatively small part throughout the novel but the small amount of romance that there is worked very well. Nick and Julia's relationship is sweet but not overwhelming, leaving the focus of the novel on the mysteries surrounding the Guild and the manipulation of time. I really liked both Nick and Julia as well as the supporting characters of Arkady, Alice, Clare, Bella, and Eamon. There were no flat characters here, they all had their own personalities and enough depth to make each of them feel real. From Eamon's brutish personality to Arkady's love for his daughter I felt as though I was right there along with the characters, feeling their emotions and living their stories right along with them.

A wonderful new time travel I wholeheartedly recommend The River of No Return to fans of Regency era romance and time travel. Fun characters, an exciting plot, and just enough romance to keep romance novel fans happy this novel has something for everyone! A fantastic first novel by Ridgeway and I can't wait to see where she goes next!

4/5

*Note: I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher in exchange for a free and honest review

The Ugly Duchess Review

Title: The Ugly Duchess (Fairy Tales Series)

Author: Eloisa James

Date of Publication: August 28, 2012

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: How can she dare to imagine he loves her…when all London calls her The Ugly Duchess ?

Theodora Saxby is the last woman anyone expects the gorgeous James Ryburn, heir to the Duchy of Ashbrook, to marry. But after a romantic proposal before the prince himself, even practical Theo finds herself convinced of her soon-to-be duke's passion.

Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.

Theo would have given it a lifetime…until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation.

Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.

And Theo will quickly find that for a man with the soul of a pirate, All's Fair in Love—or War.

My Review: 

Last week while perusing the shelves at the library trying to find something new to read I decided that I was extremely tired of reading about paranormal fantasy heroines with chips on their shoulders and really needed to take a break from that genre. So, in a burst of eagerness to try something new I checked out several regency/historical romance novels in the hopes that the silly titles and ridiculous story lines might give me a break, or at least scare me back to my preferred genre.

Now while I wasn't expecting a work of great literary merit I was expecting a plot. The beginning of the novel starts off well enough, but the whole thing quickly deteriorates as the story takes a turn for the extremely ridiculous. In addition to having the most random story line I've ever read the characters never did anything, there wasn't a single exciting moment in this whole novel. By the end I was so bored I barely skimmed the epilogue, but I'm sure nothing exciting happened there anyway.

The worst part of this novel had to be the middle. The old rule of "show don't tell" definitely applied here, I felt like I was reading a detailed summary of what the author wanted to write instead of reading about the characters themselves. I felt so far removed from the characters that I had a really hard time even finishing this novel. I honestly wanted to like it, I really did, I thought the plot had potential but overall it just fell completely flat.

Meanwhile the characters had zero personality. When I sat down to write this review I had to go flip back through the novel to even remember their names. Theo and James both had the potential to be interesting characters they just didn't have the personality they needed to make this novel work. I just couldn't make myself care about them, no matter how much I tried. Not to mention after the extremely ridiculous plot twist I just couldn't take James (the character, not the author) seriously anymore.

I'm not going to totally write off the genre, or even Eloisa James for that matter, because I have read a few good regency/historical romances and I'm willing to give it another shot. However, the weak characters and lack of plot mean that The Ugly Duchess isn't really a novel I would recommend.

2/5

Blue Asylum Review

Title: Blue Asylum

Author: Kathy Hepinstall

Date of Publication: April 10, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Amid the mayhem of the Civil War, Virginia plantation wife Iris Dunleavy is put on trial and convicted of madness. It is the only reasonable explanation the court can see for her willful behavior, so she is sent away to Sanibel Asylum to be restored to a good, compliant woman.

Iris knows, though, that her husband is the true criminal; she is no lunatic, only guilty of disagreeing with him on notions of justice, cruelty, and property. On this remote Florida island, cut off by swamps and seas and military blockades, Iris meets a wonderful collection of residents--some seemingly sane, some wrongly convinced they are crazy, some charmingly odd, some dangerously unstable.

Which of these is Ambrose Weller, the war-haunted Confederate soldier whose memories terrorize him into wild fits that can only be calmed by the color blue, but whose gentleness and dark eyes beckon to Iris. The institution calls itself modern, but Iris is skeptical of its methods, particularly the dreaded "water treatment."

She must escape, but she has found new hope and love with Ambrose. Can she take him with her? If they make it out, will the war have left anything for them to make a life from, back home? Blue Asylum is a vibrant, beautifully-imagined, absorbing story of the lines we all cross between sanity and madness. It is also the tale of a spirited woman, a wounded soldier, their impossible love, and the undeniable call of freedom

My Review:

Blue Asylum offered an interesting premise; I was intrigued by the idea and was excited to learn more about the conditions of asylums in the 1800's. While the novel was interesting enough I was disappointed to find weak character development and not nearly enough time spent on the practices of the asylum. I wanted to like this novel, but it ultimately fell flat.

While the idea held potential the characters just didn't pull it off. I felt disconnected from them, like I was watching from a distance, not living the story with them. I had a hard time relating to Iris and because of the constant jumping around from one character to another I was constantly getting different characters mixed up. The most interesting part of the novel was the use of the water treatment for the patients, which I wish the author had spent more time on.

The romance between Ambrose and Iris felt rushed and forced. Hardly any of the novel was spent on their interactions before the two escape together, making their romance feel instantaneous and a bit like an "insta-love". I wanted to like both of them but by the end of the novel I felt like I just didn't know either of them enough to really care about them or what happened to them.

Likewise an unsatisfying ending full of unanswered questions and forgotten characters I found myself disappointed with Blue Asylum. Even with good writing and an interesting premise the poor quality of the characters made this novel hard to get into. Most of the novel was spent with filler events that could have been spent fleshing out the characters.

At the end of the day I have a hard time recommending this novel. Fans of historical fiction may enjoy it but overall I would have to suggest skipping this one or at least waiting for the library to acquire a copy.

2/5

Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #2: The Janus Affair Review

Title: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #2: The Janus Affair

Author: Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris

Date of Publication: May 29, 2012

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: When Eliza Braun and her partner Wellington Books witness a passenger aboard Britain's latest hyperstream train vanish in a bolt of lightning they find that this is not the first of many disappearances that they cannot ignore. As more and more women in the suffragist movement begin vanishing Eliza convinces Wellington to go against his instincts and investigate the disappearances. With the arrival of former friends from New Zealand Eliza must face her past to properly investigate, leaving her questioning her place in England. Between Wellington's skill with machines and Eliza's use of weapons and explosives they just may be able to capture the culprit behind the kidnappings, that is, if they aren't the next victims.

My Review:

I had really enjoyed the first novel in this series, Phoenix Rising, so when I saw that there was a sequel I knew that I had to read it. Unfortunately while this novel wasn't bad I definitely felt that it didn't quite live up to the action and excitement present in the first novel. I found the plot of The Janus Affair to be a bit tedious and honestly I just wasn't as interested in it as I was in the plot of Phoenix Rising.

While the plot wasn't bad it was considerably weaker than in the first novel. While adding in the suffragist movement was an interesting idea it just didn't work for the story. The suffragist movement was a controversial time this novel just didn't quite capture that aspect, making the kidnappings of the suffragist women feel a little anti-climactic. The climax of the novel seemed almost random and left quite a few loose ends in terms of some of the characters; however the ending left it open for a sequel which I am highly anticipating!

This novel focused more on the characters and their interactions than the plot. As Eliza and Wellington discover their feelings for each other as well as face significant others from their past they learn a lot about each other and their feelings. While the plot of this novel fell flat the character development did not! This novel offered a deeper look at both Eliza and Wellington and offered unexpected revelations and introduced interesting new tidbits on their characters!

In the end, I enjoyed this novel a lot. Eliza is a fun character to read about and I absolutely love her relationship with Wellington. Full of action, mystery, and suspense this novel was by no means dull. I liked the adding in of New Zealand characters and the revelations about both Eliza and Wellingtons past. I loved the changing perspectives and the several plots all contained in one novel. While I didn't think it lived up to Phoenix Rising I still liked this novel and definitely can't wait for the next one!

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels are some of steampunk's finest. A great series so far I'm extremely excited to see where the series goes as Eliza drags Wellington into more adventures and they take on new cases! Definitely a great series that should not be missed by fans of steampunk!

4/5