Review: Ruined by Moonlight by Emma Wildes

Finally, a review! And not any review, but my review of Ruined by Moonlight by Emma Wildes! I've been trying to write this review for weeks, wanting to share with everyone my love of it, but it just didn't come ^_^; As a result, I focused on other books whose reviews were easier to write :) But finally, I've managed it! So enjoy!! Next, Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh... hopefully!


Ruined by Moonlight by Emma Wildes

published by New American Library in September 2012

What is society to do when the diamonds of the first water are caught in compromising situations, one after the other? Can the young ladies survive the season with their reputations intact... or will the scandalous whispers surrounding them bring about the ultimate ruination?

When Lady Elena Morrow, the reigning belle of the ton, suddenly disappears, her family is desperate to find her—and to keep the story from spreading through London society like wildfire, before her reputation is ruined. Unfortunately, it may be impossible to avoid a scandal. Viscount Andrews, better known as the Raven, London’s most notorious rake, has gone missing at exactly the same moment.

Benjamin Wallace, Lord Heathton, is more accustomed to untangling political difficulties, rather than those of the heart. But when he is pressured to help find Lady Elena, he can’t refuse—the distraught father is also his wife’s uncle. Now he must find the beautiful debutante before the connection to Andrews does away with her innocence—assuming the vulnerable young lady wants to be found...

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Whispers of Scandal, Book #1

The Story: Ruined by Moonlight is about two couples. The first is Lady Elena Morrow and Randolph Raine, Viscount Andrews, also known as the Raven. The two of them were kidnapped and found themselves locked up in a tower with little amount of clothes on. After insuring that neither had anything to do with the situation, Elena and Ran pull their efforts together to try and figure out why they were kidnapped and thrown together and find an escape. Ideally, it should be done before the ton realizes that Elena and Ran - one being the reigning belle of the Season and the other, a notorious rake, and therefore under the ton's scrutiny - have disappeared at the same time and rumors start flying, ruining Elena's reputation... and possibly her recent engagement with Lord Colbert, who while doesn't make her heart flutters has the approval of her father. But can two attractive persons be in such close proximity under such circumstances without developing feelings for each other?

The other couple featured in Ruined by Moonlight is Benjamin Wallace, Earl of Heathton, and his wife Alicia. Lord Heathton has recently married the lady of his choosing for duty, figuring that Alicia, with her impeccable background and poise, would make him a perfect countess. However, what Alicia wants is marriage and all the intimacy it entails instead of separate lifestyles that interconnect from time to time which is what her husband seems to have planned. As a result, she has issued an ultimatum to her husband: the suspension of his conjugal rights until they know each other better. While it rankles, Lord Heathton grudgingly conforms... And therefore, when Alicia's uncle, Lord Whitbridge, comes to Lord Heathton to ask him to discreetly investigate his daughter's, Elena, disappearance, Lord Heathton accepts figuring it'd mark points with Alicia.

My Opinion:  I've really been looking forward to Ms Wildes' new release, Ruined by Moonlight :) Seriously, nine months between releases is much too long. However, I gotta say the wait was worth it! I often bemoaned on my blog how I haven't clicked with certain popular authors such as Jill Shalvis, Tessa Dare, etc., to my greatest dismay :( Well with Ms Wildes, it's the opposite. She and I clicked right from the start and I have enjoyed and adore pretty much everything I have read by her. I don't know what it is about her writing and stories, but they work for me and Ruined by Moonlight was no exception :)

Back in January, I read the excerpt of Ruined by Moonlight at the end of Twice Fallen and just that bit had me hooked! I knew I would enjoy Ruined by Moonlight and a lot of it has to do with Elena and Ran's story, the two of them being kidnapped and discovering they've been locked up together. Yes, there is something unbelievable about it and unfortunately Ms Wildes doesn't completely pull it off when it comes to the "who" and "why," but still, it made for an interesting and refreshing premises. I liked that under ordinary circumstances, these two would never cross path as Ran has a tendency of avoiding debutantes and innocents, but thrown in together, there's an irresistible temptation and they both succumb. I really enjoyed how the friendship and romance develop between Elena and Ran, how the intimacy builds up... and given their situation, it's believable. Ran is handsome, cares about his family, has wealth and is a gentleman, LOL, to a certain extent... and Elena is pretty, but more importantly clever. These two obviously suit each other and make a good couple together. So the romance worked for me and I liked that Ran was not an idiot and fought for Elena. I also liked that he didn't propose to Elena out of obligation, out of circumstances, but really felt something for her. I also have to say I liked that Elena was active in their escape, that she wasn't a delicate flower waiting for Ran to come up with a plan and relying on him. No, Elena was independent and quite poised and she made for an interesting heroine :)

I also very much enjoyed Benjamin and Alicia's storyline. This is not the first time Ms Wildes explores this trope where the couple is married, but the wife wants more. It's one of my favorites and Ms Wildes executes it very well and once again, she pulls it off in Ruined by Moonlight. It's just a trope that makes sense to me. The lady marries a good man, why wouldn't she want more from him? Why shouldn't she expect more from him? And she takes the necessary steps to ensure that she gets it, that there is love in their marriage. I liked that Ms Wildes showed how hard it was for Alicia to take the reins and demand something of her husband. I think it showed us strength and how brave Alicia was, as well as how hopeful and determined she was about her marriage. At the same time, she didn't go overboard, imagining up plots to make her husband pay attention to her. I liked that she was honest and communicate with him. Benjamin being huffy at Alicia's ultimatum - I don't know any men that like them, LOL - was expected, but what wasn't was the fact he was honest with himself, admitting to himself that something about the arrangement didn't suit him, didn't feel right. It made Benjamin interesting and I liked the efforts he made to conform to Alicia's ultimatum. I enjoyed reading about Benjamin and Alicia discovering each other and really falling in love, it was sweet :) These men are not raised to believe in love, but there's something good about them discovering it :) Also, I have to add that I enjoyed the interactions between Elena's father and Benjamin. It was really interesting to see a pompous, older man share his inner feelings, his love for his daughter... Something that Benjamin obviously never expected to hear from him... and it provided Benjamin with perspectives. As a whole, I think that Elena's father was really a good addition to the story. He brought a different and refreshing point of view.

My main complaint about Ruined by Moonlight is that I felt the novel unraveled a little at the end when it came to the "who" and "why" Elena and Ran were kidnapped. As I mentioned earlier, it's a bit of an unbelievable tale and as a result, Ms Wildes really need to have a solid explanation to pull it off... And I felt she didn't. The motives, at most, are acceptable... but the "who" is still unknown. Perhaps it's going to be uncovered as the series progresses, but it's still a bit weird. Also, in Ruined by Moonlight, I felt both couples had equal amount of pages... It's not such a bad thing, but at the same time, I think Elena and Ran's story could have been fleshed a bit more, more rounded and solid. Perhaps if Ms Wildes could have provided a "who," the storyline would have felt more completed. And one last thing is an error that slipped through editing about how Ran's parents died. Their death was mentioned twice in the book, but in each instance, the cause was different ^_^; At first, I thought I misread it, but alas no. Although it's not too important since it doesn't impact the story at all. It just stands out though ^_^;

When I picked up Ruined by Moonlight, I was taken by surprise that this book was the start of a new series. I was a bit disappointed because I thought there were more stories to be told in The Ladies in Waiting series... but after reading Ruined by Moonlight and the excerpt of the next book, A Most Improper Rumor, I'm actually glad for this new series, Whispers of Scandal. It's interesting, original and I liked that the connecting element between the books is going to be Lord Heathton's investigation :) I definitively hope we'll get to read more about Benjamin and Alicia's marriage.

My Grade: B+. Ruined by Moonlight definitively had some flaws in the story, but I really, really enjoyed it :) Perhaps it's the fact that Ms Wildes and I click LOL. All I can say is it rejuvenated my love of Ms Wildes' writing and that now, I'm anxiously waiting for the next book, A Most Improper Rumor :)

Review: One Whisper Away by Emma Wildes

It seems I cannot find the right balance ^_^; Either I'm reading or reviewing... Either way, I'll take it LOL. I'm so happy to finally be reviewing a bit :) By the way, in case you didn't know, Ames, Monroe and I have our post for new releases up over at Breezing Through :)

Speaking of new releases... I was at the bookstore yesterday, looking for Basilisk by Rob Thurman. Jeez, it's been months since I went to that particular bookstore - lately, I've been going to James' bookstore (which is closing!! *sob*) or the one that's closest to home... and I've realized two things: 1) I've been spoiled and 2) I'm getting old LOL. I know that bookstore has gotten Basilisk since last week and yesterday was its official release date... and it wasn't on the shelves! Grrr. Looking around, there were few carts with tons of books on it... and I looked at those carts... Few  years ago, I would have been going through each one of them and looking for the book I wanted. Yesterday? I felt too lazy and walked away LOL. Okay, perhaps it's not getting old, but rather laziness... but I mean, it's telling, no? Now, I'll just wait for either James' bookstore to get it or the one closest to me... And that ladies (and gentlemen?) was my most recent book adventure... Sad no?

Okay, enough babbling from me. Here's my review of One Whisper Away by Emma Wildes. I'm so proud of myself for this one, because I was able to make myself wait till RWA to get my hands on it. Yep people, I waited a whole 2 months LOL. See, I'm not a lost cause LOL.


One Whisper Away by Emma Wildes

published by New American Library in May 2011

Lady Cecily Francis is resigned to become the wife of Lord Drury, the man she suspects her sister is pining for. But upon her first scandalous encounter with the exotic Earl of Augustine-the American whom everyone is whispering about- Cecily is intrigued by the possibility of a more exciting life. If only she could contrive some way to marry the unconventional earl instead....

Around town he's known as Earl Savage. Although he inherited his title legitimately-and, with it, responsibility for his three half sisters-Augustine is half American and part Iroquois. He can't wait to settle his father's estate, marry his sisters off, and return to his native soil. Until charming Lady Cecily has him considering a prolonged stay in England...

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Ladies in Waiting series, Book #1

The Story: Jonathan Bourne, Earl of Augustine, has come from America to England after his father's death to assume his title. Half-English, a quarter Native and a quarter French, Augustine is a man of two worlds, accustomed not to be accepted in polite society and quite frankly, he doesn't care. All he wants is to quickly marry off his three half-sisters whom he's never met, so he can return to America. This should be easy as his sisters are pretty and well-dowered... Only, this task turns out to be more difficult than he imagined when he finds out that the eldest, Lillian, was embroiled in a scandal years ago and is considered ruined. Worst, she is not even received in Society... Even with a title and a fortune, Augustine - with his looks, his faux pas towards Lady Cecily Francis and his illegitimate 5 years old daughter in tow - might not have enough cloud to restore her position in society.

Lady Cecily Francis is the daughter of the Duke of Eddington and is considered the belle of the season. All she wants is to go back to the country, but as it's been pointed to her, that's not where she'll find a husband. However, she fears that Viscount Drury who is a friend of her brother and very eligible bachelor is about to propose to her and her father will definitively encourage the match... and Cecily has no idea how to turn him down without revealing that her elder sister is in love with him... But what if she was already engaged? Not only she wouldn't have to reject him, but she could even steer Lord Drury towards her sister. And Cecily knows exactly who to ask to pose as her betrothed... as only one man has caught her attention...

My Opinion: I was really looking forward to One Whisper Away as Ms Wildes has become one of my favorite and auto-buy historical romance authors, but at the same time, when I found out that the hero was Native American, I was a little bit wary. I'm not super fond of Native American characters, especially not in historical, because it's always the same issues that come up - acceptance - and with Augustine being nicknamed Earl Savage, it didn't look very promising. In the end though, the hero being Native had almost no repercussion on the storyline so it was fine with me :)

Overall, I enjoyed One Whisper Away, but it wasn't Ms Wildes best. I think the the writing was solid as usual, but there was too much happening in the book and the characters weren't utilized to their fullest potential. Ms Wildes had two really interesting characters in Lady Cecily and Augustine - an aside: one thing that I enjoy so much of Ms Wildes' books is that although her heroines are young, they have a level of maturity that is quite refreshing - but instead of focusing on them and their romance, she gave too much of the spotlights to the secondary storylines. I really liked Cecily and Augustine and was expecting more conflicts in their romance... The beginning was quite promising with Cecily's father encouraging her to accept Lord Drury's proposal, Augustine barely being accepted in society. I expected Augustine to have to do a lot more to ingratiate himself to the ton... and perhaps it's a good thing he didn't have to. However, once Cecily came up with the fake engagement plan, almost immediately, Augustine decided that he wanted the real thing and let's forget his plans to go back to America and voila, Cecily and Augustine were in love with each other. I thought everything happened a bit too quickly when it came to our H/H and the story moved on. I was looking forward to more scenes between Augustine's daughter and Cecily, but that also was brushed aside quickly. In that aspect, I thought One Whisper Away was a bit of a disappointment.

I did however really enjoy the secondary storylines. I really loved how smart and considerate Cecily was. As I said, she might be young, but she has a level of maturity that a lot of heroines in other historical romance lack. I liked that she knew her sister Eleanor was in love with Lord Drury, I liked that she realized that she and Lord Drury might match, but it wasn't love and therefore had no intention of accepting. I like that she didn't give away her sister's secrets and instead, planned to bring them together somehow. So yes, that part, I really liked. I also enjoyed Augustine's sister, Lillian, storyline. I think that was a nice setting up for the next book... I liked the conflicting emotions Lillian had about her brother and would have liked Ms Wildes to develop this further. So yes, I really enjoyed these secondary storylines, but at the same time, I thought Ms Wildes spent too much time on them. For example, the revelation about Lillian's scandal should have been kept for her book instead. And seriously, the shooting at the end? Totally superfluous. Yes, it was foreshadowed - and not very well ^_^; But seriously, the book could have done without it and not suffer at all.

Of course, there were also some good moments in this book such as Augustine's meeting with Cecily's father LOL. And I really enjoyed the interactions between all the characters - Augustine with his cousin, the siblings relationship between all three Eddington's offsprings, etc. However, after I finished reading One Whisper Away, I simply wasn't wowed... It was a nice book, an enjoyable one, but it missed the mark a little... and I think it was because the romance between Augustine and Cecily was not deep enough.

My Grade: B. Not a wowzer, but still quite enjoyable with solid writing :) Now, I'm really looking forward to Twice Fallen (January 2012), not only for Lillian, but also for the hero, Damien Northfield which we met in Lessons from a Scarlet Lady.

Review: Notorious Bachelors trilogy by Emma Wildes

Jeez, I can't believe how time goes by so swiftly! I mean, it's already Friday - another Christmas party done, another week over LOL. In a blink of the eye, we'll be mid-way in December very soon. Seriously, how does that happen?!? Today was my last day of freedom, so I sneaked out of work early :) My boss was supposed to come back at the beginning of the month, but he's been delaying his return... Still, he has to come back one day and it seems that day will be next Monday. LOL, for some reasons, I suspect next week will go by somehow slower ^_^; If I'm lucky though, I'll be on vacation very soon :) I really, really hope my boss will granted me the vacation time... in any case, I'm keeping my fingers crossed :)

All right, enough about me. Let's talk about my favorite subject, books :) I definitively need to find a way to review faster ^_^; I'm so behind, you can't imagine. As a result, this is going to be a three for one review and I have the perfect books in mind - Emma Wildes' Notorious Bachelors trilogy. I've been reading a lot of historical romances lately and it's partly due to Ms Wildes, so what better way to thank her than to review the trilogy? :P

By the way, just a little aside before I start... Did you know that a marquess was higher ranked than an earl? I was curious and checked on wikipedia and turns out that the ranking order from high to low is: duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron. Huh... I always thought it was something like: duke, earl, viscount, marquess and baron. I mean, you always read about dukes and earls... and it seems to me it's only recently that the marquesses have become popular... The things we learn :P

Okay, reviews ahead! :)


My Lord Scandal

published by New American Library in September 2010

A Rogue by any other name

Despite her beauty, Lady Amelia Patton has lived a sheltered life among her books. When she finds herself suddenly the toast of the ton, she is far from delighted. Her father, Lord Hathaway, wants her married off quickly, but the last person he'd choose for her husband is the son of his worst enemy...

Alexander St. James may be a thief of hearts, but he is no burglar. Nevertheless, he must recover and item belonging to his family to avoid a scandal, and so he has stolen into the home of Lord Hathaway, only to come upon the beguiling and chaste Lady Amelia in her bedroom, wearing only a lacy chemise...

From their first meeting, Alexander leaves Amelia breathless-but is it from fear or excitement? Captivated by her beauty and charmed by her intellect, he ignores the scandalous whispers as he sets out to seduce the woman of his dreams...

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Notorious Bachelors trilogy, Book #1

The Story: The blurb is pretty accurate. Alexander is asked by his grandmother to retrieve an item from Lord Hathaway's household. While infiltrating Lord Hathaway's house with his comrade in arms, Michael Hepburn, Alexander stumbles upon Amelia returning from a ball. This gives place to an unexpected, but seductive meeting on the balcony with Amelia wearing next to nothing.

From their first meeting, Alexander and Amelia are smitten for each other. This should be the perfect situation, as Amelia's father, who has always been distant, wishes to marry her off quickly... but no matter how quickly, he would never approve of Alexander as the Patton and St. James families have been feuding for two generations. However, Alexander and Amelia are not aware of the reasons and eventually, it comes a time where both have to make a choice - love or loyalty to their family... and could the item Alexander has been tasked to retrieve linked to the feud?

My Opinion: My Lord Scandal was an enjoyable read and the main reason was because the book focused on Alexander and Amelia and their relationship. I really liked both Alexander and Amelia's characters. I like their maturity and the fact that they knew what they wanted and went after it. Of course, there were some hesitations in the beginning, it's never easy to stand up to your family; however, they didn't dwell on it forever. Once they knew they were in love, that was settled and they braved the consequences together. I really liked that they had each other's back.

Something else that I enjoyed was the fact that there was no villain in this book... no baddie that we had to figure out or look out for. Sure there were some secondary characters - Amelia's aunt comes to mind - but they didn't steal the spotlight. They really were there to support our H/H :) There was also the item that Alexander had to retrieve that led to an interesting side-story. I really liked how Ms Wildes incorporated it into the book - it was crucial for the overall storyline, but at the same time it was passive.  It just blended in and really complemented the romance :)

As Ames put it in her review, it was the perfect non-angsty historical romance... and I believe we need more of those :) There are too many intrigues in our historicals books nowadays, so it's really nice to come back to something a bit more mundane, a bit more internal :)

My Grade: B. After reading My Lord Scandal, I wavered between B and B+. Overall, I thought it was a very pleasant book with likable H/H... unfortunately, it failed to leave a deep impression in my mind. After two months, I have a bit of difficulty remembering the story and so, I think B is most appropriate.


Our Wicked Mistake
published by New American Library in October 2010

A devilish business requires a devilish solution

Madeline May, the widowed Lady Brewer, is in a horrifying quandary. When blackmail turns to murder, it becomes clear that only one man can help her: Luke Daudet, the notorious Viscount Altea, who is used to dealing with men of ill repute, and whom she despises with every fiber of her being.

As a connoisseur of beautiful woman, Luke recognizes Madeline's physical allure and the danger she represents. From the very moment of their first meeting-and one unforgettable night of passion-Luke Daudet knew she was different. And when he received her fateful entreaty, he knew he would not be able to stay away...

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Notorious Bachelors trilogy, Book #2

The Story: Luke Daudet lost his newly-wedded Spanish bride during the war and is unwilling to let another woman matter as much to him. That is why after a night of passion with widowed Madeline May, Luke cut all ties with her... He is therefore very surprised when he receives Madeline's cry of help.

Madeline May's late husband, Lord Brewer, used to keep a diary where he detailed certain events of his life... including some episodes of his marriage bed. Somehow, lecherous Lord Fitch got his hands on the journal and has been harassing Madeline ever since. One night, in order to escape him, she bashes him on the head and thinks she killed him. Not knowing where to turn, she goes to Luke for help.

However, what she does not realize is that once their contact is renewed, Luke will not be able to turn his back on her once again... and she's not sure she wants to...

My Opinion: This was the book that I appealed to me the least out of all three books of the trilogy, based on the blurb and the excerpt. It was partly because Madeline was a widow and partly because the harassment described in the excerpt sounded like a blackmail plot. However, Ames kept telling me how much she enjoyed this book - more than My Lord Scandal, so I had to try it... and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised :)

First, Luke and Madeline definitively had a great chemistry together and that made the romance engaging. Then, their respective circumstances made it interesting. I thought it was refreshing that for once, it was the hero who didn't want to get himself involved - especially with a widow in the plot :P What I liked was that from the beginning, Luke knew that Madeline might become more to him and so, took steps to avoid so. Seriously, Ms Wildes' characters are very honest and bright about their emotions! They don't wear blindfolds, that's for sure :) As for Madeline, I really admired her for her strength. Madeline is a very respectable woman and widow and even though widows have more freedom and privileges, associating with rakes is still not good for their reputation. However, Madeline embarked on the affair of her own will and face her family's reactions - bad and good :) I definitively think that Luke and Madeline was a well-matched pair :)

Other things that I liked about this book was Luke and his illegitimate sister's relationship. I wished this part would have been expanded actually! It was unusual and refreshing :) The secondary romance involving Luke's younger sister and their cousin was also very cute. There was nothing new about it - young man with no title, but promising future in love with unaware young girl. He tries hard to hide his feelings, but he suddenly kisses her and she realizes that perhaps, she has feelings for him... It was sweet and well-executed and as I said, not new... but you don't want new for the secondary romance, because you don't want it to overshadow the main romance. Also, all the characters were very likable and that's a hard thing to do :P And surprisingly, I was happy that Madeline's son did not have a big role in the book... I usually like to see adults interact with children, but at times, those interactions seem to be identical from book to book... So yeah, I thought it was a good decision to leave out the son.

What did not work for me? Well actually, everything that has to do with Luke's past... Our three notorious bachelors are good friends, but the primary link between them is that they all serve in the war together. However, that aspect/part of their lives is very unclear and has not been very developed. It wasn't very noticeable in My Lord Scandal, because it was more a detail... However, in Our Wicked Mistake, it impacts the storyline since Luke's biggest emotional hurdle comes from that time. Also, how the intrigue at the end was resolved wasn't great either. I thought it could have been much better, especially as it started off so well.

My Grade: B. Another very enjoyable addition to the trilogy. It surprised me how much I liked Luke and Madeline's relationship. Also, the book was great because it was unpredictable. Okay, perhaps not totally unpredictable, but at least, not a compilation of clichés :) However, I'm not sure it was truly better than My Lord Scandal...


His Sinful Secret

published by New American Library in November 2010

Some secrets can be shared only behind closed doors

The art of deception didn't baffle Michael Hepburn, but innocence did. His new wife is trusting, lovely, and, to his amazement, utterly bewitching.

Julianne Sutton had always known she would wed the Marquess of Longhaven, as arranged by both families years earlier. She'd assumed, however, that it would be the affable ducal heir Harry who would be her husband, not his enigmatic brother. When Harry died unexpectedly and Michael took his place as the new marquees, more than just her plans for her marriage were altered.

Michael battled a ruthless enemy in a game of espionage and deceit, but when he discovered that his new wife might have secrets of her own, he quickly learned that love had entirely different set of rules...

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Notorious Bachelors trilogy, Book #3

The Story: Life can be very ironic...While Michael was risking his life against the Frenches, he never expected his older brother Harry, the ducal heir, to die. Now, not only has Michael inherited the title, but also a bride as his grieving parents demanded that he fulfills the marriage arrangement made between the two families. However, the war might be over, but for Michael, it won't be settled till he squares things off with a certain Roget... and he won't let a young, beautiful wife sidetrack him.

From a very young age, Julianne knew she would marry Harry. His death comes as a shock and so does her marriage to Michael... but what choice does she have? What disconcerts her is how little she is acquainted with her new husband. Harry has been an easy man to know and love, but Michael is very different, very complex... still, she could fall in love with him...

My Opinion: In truth, His Sinful Secret was my favorite novel in the trilogy, mainly due to Michael and Julianne - their characters, but also their romance :) It has some vibes of "happy-go-lucky heroine thawing up stuffy hero," but it's not exactly it. Julianne might be only 19 years old, but she's not a happy-go-lucky young girl... instead, she's very mature, very observant and very lovable. I liked her determination when it came to Michael, but even more impressive was her poise. I actually read His Sinful Secret before Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath and I just couldn't help but compare the two brides... and I kept thinking if Claire had acted the same way as Julianne, she and Westcliffe could have avoided so much pain. The way Julianne went about it in her marriage was really the way she needed to go in order to build something meaningful with Michael. I liked that she let him know that she wanted more out their relationship without being pushy... It was really the perfect mix of push and pull :) And it was a pleasure to see Michael fall in love with Julianne and realize his feelings, despite planning not to.

In my opinion, Julianne's character is what made the book. It is she who made the romance more than what it is by the way she behaved. She acted, she took initiatives and she reached out... and thus, definitively deserves her HEA ending. As for Michael, he was a nice hero, but he doesn't leave a deep impression because his character was very reserved. He kept his emotions close to heart and there was no excessive outburst. I guess what I'm saying is that he lacked intensity... but that doesn't make him less of an hero. Actually, what sets him apart for me is that he was a very reasonable and considerate man LOL. They are actually quite rare LOL. He could be a bit high-handed at times, thinking he knew best... however, he adjusted and adapted :) I thought he had charisma and did inspire authority... but overall, he was a wee bland ^_^; and perhaps that has to do with the spy thingie. You know, how they have to blend in... I have to admit, I really enjoyed and loved the romance in His Sinful Secret, but the mystery aspect did not really work for me. It seemed a bit too convoluted for nothing and simply not very interesting.

Luckily, there was a really nice twist involving Harry's past and how it impacted Michael and Julianne's marriage. At the same time, it showcased Julianne's character very well - again her poise, but her selflessness and her concern for other people's feelings, and Julianne, Michael and his parents dynamics together. That I really enjoyed, because I think it's quite rare to see the parents. Seriously, if I had my say, I would have focused the book even more on the characters, the relationships and the twists.

Finally, there was a lot of foreshadowing of Michael's character and setting up for his book in the previous two books of the trilogy. However, when reading His Sinful Secret, I felt there was a disconnection with the other two books. Luke and Alexander barely make an appearance in His Sinful Secret and the mystery was a bit too stretched to feel real :(

My Grade: B+. Really, sometimes, grades are not logical LOL. Out of the three books, I would say that the balance between romance and side-stories was weakest in His Sinful Secret. Yet, it's the one that I enjoyed most. It's the one that I'll pull out to re-read passages again, simply because it's the one where the characters and romance marked me most :P


Before I end this post, I'd like to write a few words about Ms Wildes.  I wasn't too sure after reading  Lessons from a Scarlet Lady how I felt about this new to me author. I mean, she showed a lot of potential, but in the long run...? Now that I'm done with this trilogy though,  I've really come to appreciate Ms Wildes' writing and she's definitively on my auto-buy list :) Overall, I really enjoy her writing. It's simple and fluid, but moreover there is this feeling of gentleness about it that's really appealing and pleasant. More importantly though is the story itself. Ms Wildes brings this breeze of freshness in the historical romance world by varying the situations, the characters, the plots and so on very well. I feel her characters are breaking certain molds by being simply being mature and honest... and I simply like how she mixes it up when it comes to setting and backgrounds... Just take this trilogy for example: Alexander is a third son, Luke has already come into his title and is head of his family and Michael is now an heir. Really, she's rejuvenating the genre and it translates into enjoyable and fun books :) So if you haven't read anything by Ms Wildes yet, what are you waiting for? :P

Review: Lessons from a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes

Sigh, time saving in spring really sucks ^_^; I mean, week-ends are short enough, but now, I lost an hour somewhere :( But at least, it means spring is almost here!! I don't know about everyone else, but Montreal has been getting very nice weather for March. Temperature has been very mild, the snow is almost gone... and this is so scary!! I bet we're going to get snow very soon... It's just too nice to be true.

Anyway, in case you weren't aware of it, I have a review up over at Breezing Through. The girls and I were looking for a book to do another foursome review and chose Lessons from a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes. This was my first Emma Wildes book and click here to find out what we thought of it! :D


Lessons from a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes
published by New American Library in January 2010

No real lady should take lessons from a scarlet woman...

The Duke of Rolthven's new wife, Brianna, is the perfect aristocratic bride. So what would society say if they saw her with a copy of Lady Rothburg's Advice -- a courtesan's lessons for the boudoir? When his innocent wife suddenly becomes a vixen in the bedroom, the proper Duke is truly astounded by her seductive powers. Following a courtesan's advice might lead to trouble - but will it lead to Brianna's ultimate desire: winning her husband's love?