Romance Starter Kits - Historical

One of the most popular genres in romance is Historical... and it's kind of unavoidable :) Trust me, I tried! However, when all your friends are gushing about some well-known, popular historical romance authors, you wonder... and you start by reading one book, then a second, a third. Next thing you know, you have a list of go-to historical romance authors :)

Like everything else, romance genre popularity is cyclic. I feel that at the moment, historical romance is down... I have no doubt it'll eventually reach the top again. In the meantime, it did leave us with many good recommendations :)

Oh, by the way, I'm a regency historical reader... That's why all of my picks are from that sub-category ^_^;

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
The Ideal Wife by Mary Balogh
And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke
My Wicked Little Lies by Victoria Alexander
The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie


Lisa Kleypas and Mary Balogh are two big names in historical romance and should be included in every starter kit in my opinion. It's also interesting to see the contrast of their writings which probably stems, in part, from the publishers they are with. I find Avon to be a bit more permissive and probably why Ms Kleypas' style is a bit more fluid. Ms Balogh's style is more restrictive and in my mind, portrays the time period a bit better. Anyway, Devil in Winter is a great book and was part of a hero duel back in the blogging days :) Funnily, Ms Kleypas' next book, Devil in Spring, will be featuring the son of Devil in Winter's couple as its hero :) As for The Ideal Wife, it's one of my favorite books by Ms Balogh. It was first published in 1991 and I read it in 2011 and enjoyed it a lot. I said earlier that Ms Balogh's style was more restrictive. It's also timeless which probably explains her long and steady writing career :) One of the few authors that consistently published her historical books without fail.

I'm a huge fan of Laura Lee Guhrke and that's because I find her books to be different from the typical regency historical romance. She tends to set her stories in the 1890s-1900s... that time period where everything is on the cusp of change. Where the nobility has to adapt to new realities, where the "normal" people are having more opportunities, etc. And that's why I chose And Then He Kissed Her.

My Wicked Little Lies by Victoria Alexander features a happily married couple, something you don't often encounter from the first pages of a historical romance. It has great banter and also, features spies in a different light :)

The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie is another favorite of mine. The hero is a nobleman and for once, upstanding. Not a scoundrel or a rake. Heroine has backbone and is independent. Also, you need to enjoy kids because she's the guardian of her 4 half-siblings. Again, the feel and storyline are refreshing compared to most regency historical romance.


Books/Authors I considered:

Loretta Chase - I'm just not a huge fan of hers like many are. She wrote some books that could be considered as classic when it comes to historical romance... but I feel her career has been waning a bit ^_^; So I chose Ms Balogh instead.
Lorraine Heath - One of my favorite historical authors and on my auto-buy list. I left her off from this starter kit mainly because I was already featuring two authors from Avon and I wanted a bit of variety in the starter kit.
Caroline Linden - She's my up and coming historical romance author. Weird to say that from someone who's been published for 11 years, but while I enjoy her writing and books a lot, I feel she hasn't written THE book that will mark her career yet. I'm looking forward to it :) Also, another author from Avon.


Your thoughts? :)

Review: The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride by Victoria Alexander

The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride by Victoria Alexander
published by Kensington in April 2014

The bride and groom cordially request the presence of…

The bride’s sister, Delilah, the very proper widowed Lady Hargate, and Samuel Russell, the groom’s friend, a very eligible, slightly improper bachelor, at their upcoming wedding.

Lady Hargate and Mr. Russell, previously acquainted during one unforgettable night in New York City when caution—and clothing—were thrown to the wind will choose to pretend they have never met before.

The lady plans to avoid love and its complications at all costs. The gentleman intends to change her mind.

Guests are invited to enjoy the many diversions of Millworth Manor—delightful grounds, lavish drawing rooms, secluded corners—and the chance to discover that one night may have been only the beginning…

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Millworth Manor, Book #3

The Story: Delilah, Lady Hargate, cares about Society's rules, is very proper and a widow. In a word, she's the perfect person to act as a chaperone for her sister Camille, Lady Lydingham, and her fiancé, Grayson Elliott, on their trip to New York City. However, once in Ameria where no one knows her, where there are no expectations of her, Delilah starts yearning for adventure... and ends up having a night of passion with Samuel Russell whom she thinks is Grayson's associate's employee. One night is all she wants.

Neither think they will ever see each other again, until Sam, who is in reality Grayson's associate, comes to Europe for a business venture: the motorwagon. Since he's already in Europe, he decides to attend Grayson's wedding... and of course, crosses path again with Delilah. A quite unfortunate situation for Delilah who has decided to use Camille's wedding to start looking for potential husband candidates. Delilah knows what quality she wants: proper, a title, good connections and wealthy... Especially now that Delilah's own wealth is in question with the suspicious appearance of a heir. In no way is Delilah looking for love. Sam who has been burned romantically by a gold digger is quite disappointed by Delilah's list of criteria and is quite ready to step aside and not interfere.

But that's easier said then done. If only thoughts of that night would stop plaguing them...

My Opinion: Ever since I read What a Lady Wants, I've become an unconditional fan of Ms Alexander and her, one of my auto-buy authors :) Over the years, there's been some ups and downs... However, it seems to me Ms Alexander has found her sparkle again because I've really been enjoying her current series and The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride was no exception.

I liked The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride because it was focused on the main characters and their romance. Both Delilah and Sam were likable characters, even if Delilah was snobbish. It's hard to like snobs ^_^; but in this case, I thought it gave more credence to the time period the story was taking place in. Delilah wasn't mean or anything... Her snobbishness was just the result of how she's been raised; it's what she knew. In any case, Sam was confident enough not to let it bother him :) As for Sam, I really liked him... Just a good, solid man, someone you can lean on and who will have your back. I thought Delilah and Sam had really good chemistry together. The fact that they were trying to hide their affair from everyone provided some good banter and chuckles :)

There was almost no conflict in The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride. It was pretty much all about whether or not Delilah and Sam would follow their hearts and get together instead of listening to their brains telling them they had nothing in common. Sometimes that works, sometimes, it doesn't. In this case, I have to admit that half-way through, the story was a bit draggy ^_^; Especially given how rapidly and easily everything was resolved at the end. However, I liked it this way. I don't think Ms Alexander should have added a secondary romance or an intrigue because it would have taken away from Delilah and Sam. What I particularly liked is that I understood Delilah's reticence to follow her heart. It wasn't about Society's expectations or Sam's lack of titles... but because she had had her heart broken once and didn't care experiencing it again. I thought that it gave more depth to Delilah's character, showed a softer and more vulnerable side of her.

As for the rest of the book, it worked for me. I find that I really enjoy this time period for historical/regency romance... On the edge of modernity, where things are starting to change and happen :) Where people have to struggle with tradition and technology. It's really interesting. As for the supporting characters, they were all familiar, except for Delilah's best friend, and still likable. So it was nice to catch up with them and they appeared just enough. I particularly enjoyed Delilah's interactions with her sisters as they are trying to mend some fences. I love Beryl because she's so shocking :) And I had to laugh at Grayson's concern that Camille would remain bridezilla after the wedding LOL.

My Grade: B. I enjoyed The Scandalous Adventures of the Sister of the Bride. It didn't have enough omph to be a wowzer, but it was a very solid read which I devoured. I'm really looking forward to the next book,  The Shocking Secret of a Guest at the Wedding, especially after reading the excerpt :)

Monthly Reads - February 2014

Sigh, I'm really having a hard time finding my blogging groove. It's weird because one week, I'll manage to write three posts and the next, nada ^_^; Anyway, I'm really happy I managed to write this post! I really wanted to have it posted in March - no fun to always play catch up. I barely made it, but I made it :)

Here is what I read in February:


1) Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare: B-

Lately, I haven't been in the mood for historical romance. It seems to be another genre I am burning out on (noooo!!!) ^_^; However, after seeing all the good reviews about Romancing the Duke, I decided to give it a try... especially since the hero was blind!

Romancing the Duke is the first in Ms Dare's new series in which each heroine inherits a castle. Isolde Ophelia Goodnight, better known as Izzy Goodnight, is the daughter of England's most acclaimed author, Sir Henry Goodnight. Because her father failed to provide for her in his will, Izzy finds herself in a financial bind. When she learns that her godfather has left her a bequest in his will, it seems to be a godsend. However, she never expected to be inheriting a castle... and one that is not empty at that. Ransom William Dacre Vane is the eleventh Duke of Rothbury and previous owner of Gostley Castle. After his bride ran away with another man and being injured in a duel, Ransom lost his eyesight and retreated from the ton, taking refuge in Gostley Castle. He's been in seclusion for seven months when Izzy shows up on his doorstep with the ludicrous claim of ownership over his home. Obviously, there's been a mistake somewhere and Rothbury intends to keep Izzy close till he finds out what happened. As for Izzy, all she wants is a roof over her head.

Romancing the Duke was a cute book and I enjoyed it... just not as much as everyone else seems to ^_^; This happens to me regularly with Ms Dare's books. I don't know what it is, because I do think her writing is solid... It's just that for me, that little extra that makes a good story into a great one is missing. In this case, I feel I didn't connect with the characters even though they were likable and well developed. I wished Ms Dare had played up Rothbury's blindness a bit more... Still, there were some good elements to Romancing the Duke. I liked that the book was focused on Izzy, Rothbury and their romance, that there was no villain/evilness and the humorous tone.


2) Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil: C-

Life in Outer Space is about Sam Kinnison who is a geek and is resigned with is place in the high school pecking order. He has a good group of friends, knows what he wants to do in the future and is just waiting for high school to be over to realize his dreams. Then Camilla, the new girl at school, comes into his life. Sam doesn't know what to do with Camilla because she doesn't fit the mold he knows and very quickly, everything in his life seems to be changing...

I picked this book up based on Alex's review. She loved Life in Outer Space and I was hoping it would work as well for me... Unfortunately, it didn't :( First, I was expecting this book to be funnier since Sam is a nerd. I guess that's what you get for watching so much Big Bang Theory LOL. In truth though, Sam wasn't that nerdy; he simply was passionate about movies, especially horror ones. Think Dawson Creek instead of Sheldon or Leonard and so it was hard for me to really believe he was being bullied. I feel that he should have stood his ground a bit more firmly... As for the story itself, I don't know ^_^; The friendship between Camilla and Sam was well-written and his confusion was interesting, but at the end of the day, I felt Sam was really dense. I mean, it was obvious this was heading for something more and his acting all scared rabbit - not very attractive. Then, Ms Keil added all this issues in the story, but I don't feel like anything was really resolved... and I never really understood what was Sam's parents' situation. Overall, Life in Outer Space simply didn't grab me.

3) Jaded by Anne Calhoun: C-

Lucas Ridgeway is jaded. He used to be a cop in Denver, but after burning out, he came back to Walkers Ford, South Dakota, to serve as their chief of police. He simply doesn't want to feel, doesn't want to care anymore because he's been burned too many times. He is not looking for a relationship, but an affair with his sexy tenant who's leaving soon, that he can manage. Alanna Wentworth comes from an affluent political family. After turning down a very public proposal, she needed space and time away from her family and escaped to Walkers Ford to be their town librarian. She always knew it would be temporary as she is needed by her family foundation and her mother and sister have started being very insistent for her come back. Before going home though, Alanna wants to do something different... such as seducing her sexy landlord.

I really wanted to like this book, but in the end, it just didn't work for me. Part of it is on me because I'm burning out on contemporary romance and Jaded didn't really offer anything different. However, it was also the book. I felt there was a lack of of chemistry between Alanna and Lucas, no real connection between them except for sex. There was also a lack of development to the story. Ms Calhoun really stacked up the book with back stories and secondary characters, but she didn't really do much with it which is unfortunate. I really would have liked to see the characters work out their problems, but all the resolutions were so sudden! It's like all the characters started at point A with their issues and ended at point B with their happy endings and none of the progress was shown. I read the book and yet, wasn't a witness to their journey from A to B :(  One thing that made me really uncomfortable is that Alanna's family ran a charity foundation which is very noble. However, that foundation mostly helped people in third world countries. But what about what's right in front of you? There's this teen that Alanna took under her wing, Cody, whom I really liked and obviously came from a poor family. I kept expecting for her to do more for him, to realize that she could change his life... and it took so much prodding for it to happened :(

I think that Ms Calhoun had some good ideas with Jaded, but failed to execute them :(


4) Split Second by Kasie West: B+


5) On the Fence by Kasie West: B+
Upcoming Review (closer to release date)


6) Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb: C+


7) Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg:
Upcoming Review.


8) At the River's Edge by Mariah Stewart: C-

I've been reading the Chesapeake Diaries series on and off and decided to pick up At the River's Edge based on the blurb. After finding her boyfriend cheating, Sophie Enright decides she needs a break and heads back home to St. Dennis, Maryland. While there, she finds an old shut-down restaurant and decides to buy it, because working in a diner as a cook was one of her best experiences. Jason Bowers came to St. Dennis to be close to his nephew - his only remaining family. He was hoping to buy the land on which the shut-down restaurant is located to expand his landscape business, but got it snatched under his nose by Sophie to whom he is attracted to.

The blurb made it sounded like there was a huge conflict between Sophie and Jason because of the land, but there wasn't ^_^; And that's the problem with At the River's Edge. It's not that I wanted the land deal to come in between Sophie and Jason, but I was hoping for something, anything to happen! There's a difference between a low-conflict story and a book where nothing happened and I feel Ms Stewart missed the mark here.  Also, the whole story was about Sophie quitting her lawyer career to open a diner/restaurant... and I simply didn't buy it ^_^; There's a big gap between loving working in a diner during college and quitting your successful career to open a restaurant. Sophie had no experience whatsoever and while she did ask for advice, it was still hard to believe she'd be successful. I've watched a lot of Masterchef shows, I've seen people who are passionate about food and dream of becoming chefs and opening their own restaurant and I didn't see that passion in Sophie.It's too bad about At the River's Edge because I thought the set up was promising although a bit cliché, but everything turned out to be quite bland: the characters, the romance and the story :(


9) Night Broken by Patricia Briggs: B-


10) Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler: C-

11) Long Hard Ride by Lorelei James: C

There's not much for me to say about Long Hard Ride. This was an erotica romance that's been on my e-reader for a while. I picked this up because I needed something different. It's basically about a heroine who is trying to find herself after letting her parents run her life. She hooked up with a cowboy, but found out he was married and almost got stranded... if it wasn't for the hero. Hero offers her an opportunity she can't pass, be his groupie and do everything he demands until they reach their destination.

While I liked Channing and Colby - the heroine and hero - and thought they were hot together.  If you take out the sex part, well Long Hard Ride becomes your usual romance where the H/H started a fling which quickly developed into something more. It's interesting though that Colby's family didn't approve of Channing and I wished there'd been more on that. Otherwise, the most interesting part of the book was Colby's partners, Trevor and Edgard, and their relationship.


12) Third Degree by Julie Cross: B
Upcoming Review.


13) Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop: B

***

Genres

Contemporary Romance - 2
Erotica Romance - 1
Historical Romance - 1
New Adult - 1
Romantic Suspense/Mystery - 1
Urban Fantasy - 2
Young Adult - 5

***

In the end, the tally is not so bad :) I really did a good job at reviewing the January books, so I thought I really dropped the ball for February... and I did. However, it seems I was also able to catch it back LOL. Reading-wise, I'm happy with the number of books read, especially since February was a shorter month, even if many of them were a bit blah ^_^; Although in the books defense, I think I was feeling blah as well.

I've also been switching gears a bit in February, picking up more Young Adult and New Adult books. I've been complaining for a while that I'm burning out on contemporary and historical romance ^_^; It's hard to put into words. On one hand, I feel I want stories that are more classic... but at the same time, I want something refreshing! I feel authors are playing it too safe lately :( To make up for those genres, I've been trying to look for new urban fantasy series, but they're hard to find... If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share! Luckily, I've been in the mood for YA and NA and that's not lacking in today's market!

What about you? How was February? What have you been in the mood to read?

Monthly Reads - February 2013

Woohoo, you gotta love scheduled post! Can't believe that I have at least one! :) Yay!  Since I'm writing this before I leave for Punta Cana, it means that the mini-reviews are pretty rushed. However, I think they reflect my opinions of the books, just not as polished as I'd like. Now, I need to catch up on the other months!

Enjoy!


1) The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne: B

2) Heist Society by Ally Carter: B

3) Sweet Deception by Heather Snow: D

I wasn't in the greatest mood when I read Sweet Deception, but despite everything, I feel the book was really so-so. Emma was an interesting character and Derick had an interesting background, so there was potential to Sweet Deception, but the execution left a lot to desire. I liked Emma's math mind and that she was up her "expressions" - that was endearing. At the end though, I feel there was just too much that was told instead of being shown and that was the downfall. I also feel the author could have developed the hero's story a bit more. I feel that at the end of the day, I still didn't know about him except for his anger at his parentage. Plus, the ending was a bit unbelievable and we didn't really know the villain's motives - why and what he did with the money. Oh, the "can't help themselves" romance and big misunderstanding were the nails in the coffin. Just so used :(

4) One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean: C-

I think this one might have gotten a higher grade if I had been in a better mood. However, it is what it is. The beginning of One Good Earl Deserves a Lover was very strong in my opinion. I just enjoyed the dialogues, the exchanges and how Pippa left people speechless LOL. However, once Cross decides to succumb, I kind of lost interest in the storyline. The hero has not been with a woman for six years, so why Pippa? Yes, he was attracted to her, but what was it about her? Is everyone so weak that they can't control their urges? Is it weird that I want reasons for when they behave differently? Aside from the romance, I'm pretty sure there was an intrigue, but quite frankly, I can't remember it ^_^; The only thing that stands out in my mind still is that Pippa was outraged when she found out Cross' true identity... and I can't help but wonder why. She said she did her research and I doubt that it was such a big secret. So she's not very good at it? Also, can Cross really just walk back and claim his title? Meh.

5) How to Misbehave by Ruthie Knox: C

Ms Knox is quickly becoming a favorite author on blogland, but for me, she's more hit and miss. I picked up How to Misbehave because everyone raved about it and it left me a bit lukewarm. Yes, it was hot and sexy, but the timeline just didn't work for me. I'm so tired of hook-ups and that's essentially what this story was about. The hero and heroine have been eyeing each other, attracted. Then, suddenly, they are thrown together because of bad weather, can't resist and have sex. The hero is not into commitment so walks away, the heroine is heart-broken and eat ice cream. However, the hero cannot live without her and therefore, returns and boom, let's be together. Meh. Also, there was a lot of sad stories and sequel baiting. Perhaps if it hadn't been in a novella format, it would have worked better for me. 

6) Always the Best Man by Fiona Harper: C

I was looking for a opposites attract story with my favorite theme, the stuffy shirt hero and happy-go-lucky heroine, and found it with Always the Best Man. Unfortunately, the storyline didn't hit the right not for me, mainly because it was just no fun. The reason I enjoy the stuffy shirt hero and the happy-go-lucky heroine so much is seeing how the heroine thaws out the hero, how perplex he often is in front of the heroine... and that just didn't happen in Always the Best Man. In fact, both the hero and heroine had a lot of baggage in this book and the heroine wasn't as happy-go-lucky as I thought, she just hid behind an acerbic sense of humor. Also, she wasn't as confident as I'd hope. As for the hero, he was more likable, but only because he realized at the end that his thinking was flawed. He'd put his best friend's wife as the ideal woman and figured out he was wrong. Since the title was Always the Best Man, I wished we've read a bit more of him as a best man LOL. Otherwise, I feel they lacked a bit of chemistry and wished they had worked a bit more on their issues. As such, it makes it a bit unbelievable for me that the hero would propose at the end and that the heroine would accept. Overall, not a bad book, but not impressed either.

7) Crazy Thing Called Love by Molly O'Keefe: B+

8) Hip Check by Deirdre Martin: C-

I don't know what took over me to read two hockey romances one after the other, especially since I'm not a fan of hockey ^_^; However, that's what happened and given that the premises were similar to a certain point, i.e. the hockey player hero getting guardianship of his niece, well I can't help but to compare the two books... and unfortunately, Hip Check was lacking in comparison. 

Mainly, I thought it was hard to like the hero, Esa Saari. I can understand resenting getting guardianship of his niece because he has to change his lifestyle, but he's the adult here. At one point, he needs to suck it up and just be there for his new charge, because the kid is what matters. And I don't want him to start making efforts, to change simply to please the hot nanny. I want it to come from his heart and I found that honesty missing in Hip Check. The heroine was a bit more likable. I liked that she chose to become a nanny and that she enjoyed her job, that's what she wanted to do and she was good at it. I liked Maddy's relationship with her charge. It's just too bad she let her father and brother walk over her.

Also, the romance in this one was so-so. I think the sudden attraction between Esa and Maddy was awkward, it needed a little bit more build-up. For me, it seemed that Esa suddenly realized his teammates found Maddy attractive and he decided they couldn't have her. Also, the pacing of the book with the fast-foward in timeline just didn't help the romance.

9) The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie: B-

10) The Best Intentions by Candice Hern: B-

11) Pivot Point by Kasie West: A

12) Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb: B

***

Balance
Books bought: +6
Books read: -12
TBR pile: -6


Genres
Category Romance - 1
        -->(Contemporary - 1)
Contemporary Romance - 3
Historical Romance - 4
        -->(Regency - 4)
Romantic Suspense/Mystery - 1
Young Adult - 2
Fiction - 1

***

It doesn't look like so from the grades and number of reads, but I felt February was a hard month for me. Just because there was a period where I didn't really enjoy what I was reading :(  Luckily, the end of the month was so much better! I have to say, i don't remember much of my February month, but given how my reading year is going, I'm happy with 12 books :)

What about you? How was February?

Review: The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie

The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie
published by Berkley in February 2013

Governess Abigail Chantry will do anything to save her sister and two dearest friends from destitution, even if it means breaking into an empty mansion in the hope of finding something to sell. Instead of treasures, though, she finds the owner, Lady Beatrice Davenham, bedridden and neglected. Appalled, Abby rousts Lady Beatrice's predatory servants and—with Lady Beatrice's eager cooperation—the four young ladies become her “nieces,” neatly eliminating the threat of disaster for all concerned!

It's the perfect situation, until Lady Beatrice’s dashing and arrogant nephew, Max, Lord Davenham, returns from the Orient—and discovers an impostor running his household...

A romantic entanglement was never the plan for these stubborn, passionate opponents—but falling in love may be as inevitable as the falling of autumn leaves...

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Chance sisters, Book #1

The Story: At the age of 18, when Max, Lord Davenham, inherited his title, he also got all the debts that came along. Almost penniless, Max was determined to make his own fortune and headed to the Orient. Nine years later, it is time to come home, especially after he receives a letter from one of his Aunt Bea's friends expressing her concerns that his aunt is being taken advantage of. And indeed, upon his return home, he finds his aunt surrounded by four nieces, the Chance sisters, whom Max is sure do not belong to the family tree.

Abigail Chantry was a governess who lost her position when she ran to the rescue of her younger sister, Jane, who was kidnapped to a brothel. The two sisters became friends with Damaris - another girl who was kidnapped to the brothel - and Daisy, who used to work for the brothel and was the one who informed Abby of the kidnapping, Together, they decide to head for Bath where Jane will have more chances to make an advantageous marriage. However, plans got derailed when Jane became sick. Desperate for money, Abby decides to rob a house - just to get the necessary money for a doctor. Instead of finding anything she could pawn, she finds Lady Beatrice - sick and neglected. Abigail cannot forget the old lady and once Jane recovers, she decides to come to Lady Beatrice's help. The old lady take the four young girls under her wing as her nieces, the Chance sisters.

From the start, Max and Abby butt heads... but is it because they are incompatible or because they are attracted to each other?

My Opinion: Over the years, I've become a fan of Ms Gracie's historical romances. Funny how things work out because the first few books that I've read by this author were misses for me. However, I just fell in love with her Devil Riders series :) Anyway, I was looking forward to Ms Gracie's new release... although I admit I was a bit disappointed to find out this was not Marcus' book :( Nevertheless, I wasn't going to miss her new book and thus, I picked up The Autumn Bride.

Going in The Autumn Bride, my expectations for the book were low due to Tracy's review. Tracy tends to be a more generous grader than me, so if she gave a book a 3/5, well let just say it doesn't bode well for me ^_^; However, in the end, I was pleasantly surprised. I can see where Tracy is coming from and she is right, the romance in The Autumn Bride was weak. Abigail and Max simply didn't spend enough time together for the HEA ending to be believable. Sure, the attraction was there, but for me, attraction does equal love. They needed more interactions, more time to really get to know each other; unfortunately those scenes were missing. Also, I would have been satisfied with them acknowledging their attraction and start courting by the end of the book. The marriage proposal just felt too forced :( And why do authors feel the need to add sex scenes, especially if they are only going to be at the end of the book? Because it is expected because it is a romance novel or to seal the deal? If they don't fit in the book, I'd rather they'd be left out... Just saying.

Aside from the romance, I pretty  much enjoyed everything else in The Autumn Bride. I liked the main characters, Abby and Max, as individuals. They were very likable and people you could get behind and root for. I admired Max' determination and focus at rebuilding the family fortune and Abby's dedication to others. I thought Ms Gracie also did a great job with the secondary characters and they really made this book. Daisy, Damaris and Jane each had their own personalities and I'm curious how it will lead to their HEA ending :) And Lady Beatrice was a hoot! She's my favorite kind of old biddies in historical romances :) You know, the kind who is blunt, speaks her mind, mischievous and has a lot of tricks up her sleeves. Even the butler and the footman had personalities :)

The storyline of The Autumn Bride had some misunderstandings, but they were resolved rather quickly and without more misunderstandings which I liked. Nothing was over-complicated and for once, I feel the characters used their good judgement... on their own! :) That was rather refreshing. I really liked the premise of the series as well, an old lady taking four young women under her wings. I do wonder if the remaining sisters are all going to be paired up with Max' business associates. I don't really mind, but I feel like Ms Gracie might have tip her hand a bit too soon. It'd have been fun to have a bit of surprise. Also, this would mean that Marcus' book is very far in the future... not that I mind though because I don't think that any of the Chance sisters really fit him. Yes, I'm rather obsessed with Marcus LOL.

My Grade: B-. Overall, I think The Autumn Bride was an enjoyable book. It's unfortunate that the romance was on the weaker side; however, the good premise made for a strong start for the new series.

Monthly Reads - January 2013

Wow, I can't believe we're in April already!! How did this happen?! I'm three Monthly Reads posts behind! My quest to catch up on everything just seems harder and harder to accomplish ^_^; Hopefully, with curling coming to an end, I'll have a more free time to read and blog... However, there's no way I'm going to be able to catch up if I don't cut some corners... In my last monthly reads post, I said I wanted to change the format of this post a little, to skip the summary of the books. I failed miserably last month, but let see if I can do it this time around ^_^;

So here is how I started 2013 reading-wise:


1) Your Wicked Heart by Meredith Duran: D

Amanda Thomas is overseas, working as a secretary. However, she leaves her employment to elope, but ends up jilted and without a penny to return to England. Then, she discovers that her fiancé is not who he said he was. The hero is Viscount Ripton who's looking for his cousin. He thinks Amanda is a thief and intends to keep an eye on her... a close eye.

Your Wicked Heart was a novella to introduce Ms Duran's new series. I'm not a huge fan of Ms Duran's books as they are usually misses for me ^_^; I like that she writes grittier historical romances, even though its not something I seem to be clicking with. I know, I know, I'm weird LOL. In any case, Your Wicked Heart just didn't work for me and honestly, I can't tell whether it was the story itself or me. The premise wasn't bad; however, I just didn't buy that the hero fell in love with the heroine... and so fast. I mean, he suspects her to be a thief! And just because they're in close quarters, he falls in love with her? I don't know, I just didn't buy it. Also, Your Wicked Heart is supposed to be a prequel novella, but I didn't really see how it introduced Ms Duran's new series... unless one of the characters is going to be the cousin. One last note, I was surprised how this novella was more typical historical romance than most of Ms Duran's works. Not a bad thing, but still a surprise.

2) Home for Christmas by Nora Roberts: C

Home for Christmas is an oldie by Ms Roberts which has been re-released in print in The Gift and this year, electronically in Holiday Wishes. I've passed over that book many times, but this year, I was in the mood for some holiday cheer and decided to give it a go.

In Home for Christmas, our hero is Jason Law, a prize-winning reporter, who returns home in New Hampshire. Despite his success, there's something nagging at Jason and perhaps going back to his hometown which he left as soon as he could might settle it. Plus, he needs a place to write his novel. The idea of seeing Faith Kirkpatrick, his high school sweetheart and the woman who didn't wait for him, is not far on his mind either... Except that he discovers the reason why Faith did not wait for him and it changes everything.

Home for Christmas was written in 1986, so for sure, it felt a bit dated. But otherwise, the story was okay.  Jason's attitude was a bit jerk-ish at first, wanting to show off his success to Faith, but given the circumstances, it was a bit understandable. Actually, I find the story between Jason and Faith quite sad, because the two were obviously in love, but the lack of communication made it they missed their chance to be together. I mean, you probably have guessed the reason why Faith did not wait for Jason. Anyway, Home for Christmas wasn't a wowzer, but wasn't bad either. As usual, a solid story if you don't mind the fact that it's dated.


3) All I Want for Christmas by Nora Roberts: B-

All I Want for Christmas is the other entry in The Gift and Holiday Wishes. This one features two mischievous twins whose wishes for Christmas is a mother... and they have the perfect candidate in mind: their cousin's teacher, Nell Davis. Nell is a music teacher and a native of New York City who has decided to give small town's life a chance. Mac Taylor, Zach and Zeke's father, is attracted by this sophisticated woman, but he's been burned once... and is not sure he wants to give love another go.

So All I Want for Christmas was my favorite story of the two and needless to say, it's in part due to the twins who were just so cute :)  However, Ms Roberts did a great job at not letting the kids take over the story, so we got to see Nell and Mac. I liked the couple as they were opposites attract. Nell was sophisticated, fun and vibrant. I would have loved to have her as a music teacher! :) On the other hand, Mac was rugged and quiet :P I also quite liked the role reversal where Mac was the single parent worried about his children. My only complaint was the romance could have used a bit more development, more communication, more togetherness. Still, an enjoyable story :)

4) Cruisin' by Sarah Mlynowski: C-

Cruisin' is a short YA story - emphasis on short - about two 17 years old girls being on a cruise. One girl is determined to lose her virginity... and rumors have it that there are vampires on the boat.

I wanted to read this short story because I've enjoyed Ms Mlynowski's previous work. Overall Cruisin' was not bad, but not great either. I just felt nothing much happened, as the whole story was about Kristin figuring out how to catch the attention of the guy she was seemingly attracted to. There was nice twist at the end, something I did not see coming so that was a nice surprise. If you want to read something short, this fits the bill nicely.


5) A Little Consequence by Amy Knupp: C-

Selena Jarboe needs distance from her family, especially since her mother has just disinherited her. Luckily, her father has willed her their beach house and that's where she takes refuge. To take her mind off things, she decides to do something she's never done: a one-night stand. Only, she gets pregnant. So she gathers her courage and informs the father, even though she doesn't expect anything from him. The last thing Evan Drake expects is to become a father and he does not react well. However, after the shock, he wants in in his child's life. Evan and his twin sister grew up without a father and it's not something he wants for his child. From there, Evan and Selena's relationship grows... but having lost her father to a dangerous job, Selena doesn't know how to deal with Evan's career as a firefighter and the dangers he faces every day.

I wanted something short and had read Ms Knupp, so I picked up A Little Consequence. Okay, okay, I was also in the mood to read about a sexy firefighter. Unfortunately, the story was more focused on Seletna than Evan... which turned out to be really unfortunate, since Selena got on my nerve for most of the story ^_^; I get that Selena comes from a privileged background, but to be so out of sort after she's been cut off. It's not that she was weak, but she was too dependent and didn't have much of a backbone. She's lucky she met the people she did, because otherwise, I don't know what would have become with her. And then, there's the fact that instead of facing issues, she runs away... and she seems scared of living. I wanted her to stand her ground, to face things, to grow, but it never seemed to really happened. On the other hand, I quite liked Evan. Sure, his reaction to the news wasn't ideal, but it felt realistic... and he sure did step it up afterwards. Unfortunately, as much as I liked him, he wasn't enough to save the book for me. Especially since I wasn't sure about the romance and their chemistry ^_^; So definitively not the best book by Ms Knupp :(


6) Wish by Kelly Hunter: B

In Wish, our heroine, Billie Temple, is a single mom who is moving away from Sydney for her new job as a pub manager in the hopes of providing a better and safer life for her 10 years old son, Cal. The only accommodation available is a rustic little house. When Adam Kincaid, the landlord, meets Billie and her son, he's not happy... because he has lost a wife and a son. However, instead of being assailed with painful memories, Adam starts living again.

I enjoy Ms Hunter's books and I was curious about Wish because it seems such a departure from her usual category romance books - no exotic locations, no intrigues, no businessmen/women. Just straight contemporary romance about two regular persons meeting and falling in love in rural Australia... And you know what? Of course, Ms Hunter pulls it off! :) I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the romance. Both Billie and Adam have their baggage and they deal with it, not letting it come in between them. I enjoyed how their relationship developed slowly. They were good, honest, hard-working people that you couldn't help but root for :) The secondary characters were also very likable and there was a small mystery aspect that was quite surprising. All in all, solid book.


7) A Breath of Scandal by Elizabeth Essex: B-
Upcoming Review.


8) Chance of a Lifetime by Jodi Thomas: B


9) The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt: C-

10) Moonlight Masquerade by Jude Deveraux: DNF

It's been a while since I last read a novel by Ms Deveraux, so when I stumbled across Moonlight Masquerade, I thought "Why not?" Especially since it was a contemporary romance and the blurb made it sounded so cute. As you can see from the grade, it wasn't really my best decision. Here were my thoughts after I decided to DNF Moonlight Masquerade:

Almost immediately, everything about the book got on my nerve or rubbed me wrong. The whole "summer romance" and the heroine not being the type of woman someone married - what a load of BS. I totally understand why she was pissed, but afterwards, to steal a heirloom?!? That was ridiculous and very dumb, especially considering that almost immediately, she got scared and kept looking over her shoulder. Also, I have to wonder, what did she hope to accomplish really? Then, needing a place to hide and a job. If you get a job, don't you need to feel paperwork in which case, you're so easy to be located?!? Then, the almost getting run over by the hero. Okay, the hero was at fault because apparently, he was checking out a caseload while driving... but the heroine wasn't totally innocent either. It's dangerous to walk on the side of the road, especially a curve!!

So yes, I wasn't liking the heroine very much. I did like the internal conflict of the hero... the fact that he was constantly being compared to his cousin, that he was miserable in his job and so on. But I stopped reading the book when he rushed to the dealership to exchange his car so it wouldn't remind the heroine - his new personal assistant - that he almost ran her over because he enjoyed the food she cooked him. Ugh. Once again, can I say, ridiculous?!?

I tried reading the last couple of chapters to see if the book got better, but nope, it didn't seem to be. I mean, the guy who dumped her came back to apologize and win her back... so what do you get? A mini love triangle. That was the end of this book for me.


11)The One That Got Away by Kelly Hunter: A-


12) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: B-
Upcoming Review.


13) Double Crossed by Ally Carter: B+

***

Balance
Books bought: +1
Books read: -13
TBR pile: -12


Genres
Category Romance - 2
           --> (Contemporary - 2)
Contemporary Romance - 5
Historical Romance - 2
        --> (Regency - 2)
Cosy Mystery - 1
Young Adult - 2
Fiction - 1

***

The start of 2013 was a rough one for me in every aspect, mainly because my family and me were in Germany for my aunt's funerals :( The only bright light was that we were together and got spend time together... but otherwise, rough start. No internet and nothing to do. I tried reading, but I simply wasn't in the mood and that explains why there are so many short reads at the beginning of the month and perhaps, the low grades as well ^_^; Then once I came home, it was getting back into a routine, starting a new job and so on. And then, you add in the fact that there weren't that many new releases I was looking forward to in January and well, tough month.

Anyway, given the circumstances, I have to say I'm quite surprised at the number of reads and you know what? I'll take it :)

What about you? Good or rough start to 2013?

Review: The Best Intentions by Candice Hern

Guess what? Yep, I have another buddy review over at Breezing Through! Seems like Ames and I are on a roll :) Speaking of roll, for it to continue, I need buddy review partners!! I've updated my sidebar with the books that I am currently reading and have read recently. If there's any books in there that you'd like to discuss, let me know! Also, I'm planning to read Written in Red by Anne Bishop and that one has been getting rave reviews, so it might be fun to talk about :)

In the meantime, you can click here to check out my buddy review of The Best Intentions by Candice Hern. Enjoy!


The Best Intentions by Candice Hern

self-published in May 2011 (first published by New American Library in June 1999)

The Earl of Strickland is a handsome widower in search of a new wife to be a mother to his two young children. Having lost his one true love, he is determined on a practical, dispassionate match with a mature woman. Young girls in their first Seasons, their heads full of romantic notions of love, are not for him. When his sister comes to visit bringing along a beautiful widow, Miles thinks he may have found the perfect match. But the widow is chaperoning her gauche, much younger sister, an artless girl who causes Miles's best intentions to go awry as he finds himself falling in love with precisely the sort of woman he sought to avoid. Set at a grand country estate in the Midlands, this sweet love story of the reserved and dignified Miles and the delightfully guileless, clumsy, outspoken Hannah is sure to charm readers.

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Country House Party, Book #2

Monthly Reads - December 2012

Hi everyone! How are you doing? Me, I'm tired ^_^; Ugh, this whole saving daytime light is simply not working for me! Of course, going out till 3am in the morning last Friday night on the week-end we "spring forward" was not my most brilliant idea ^_^; Something that I'll have to remember for next year LOL. Aside from that, life is pretty quiet. I'm still "practicing" at work which gives me some free time which is good because there are a lot of new books I want to read! :)

Speaking of books, here is my Monthly Reads post for December ^_^; As you can see, I'm still behind... and that's why I've decided to change the format a little. Nothing major, but something that will definitively save me time and make me stop dreading these posts. So what is the change? I'm still going to continue to review some books in these Monthly Reads posts, but I won't be summarizing them anymore. As a result, what you'll get is truly mini-reviews, just my opinion :) I think it's a good decision given that I'm so far behind in my reviews ^_^; Let me know what you think!

Now, here is what I read in December:


1) Cold Days by Jim Butcher: A

2) The Weird Girls by Cecy Robson: C-

The Weird Girls is a little novella whose purpose is to launch this new urban fantasy series, The Weird Girls series, that has caught my interest. The premise is four sisters who each has unique powers thanks to a curse: Celia can change into a golden tigress and that ability is accompanied with preternatural speed and strength; Taran releases her power in the form of lightning and fire; Emma is a telekinetic and can heal; and Shayna is a blademaster with the ability to manipulate metals. They have recently move to the supernatural community found in Lake Tahoe and hope to keep a low profile due to their unusual abilities. Of course, things don't go as planned and in The Weird Girls, our four sisters get into a dispute with the local witch coven...

So I thought I'd give The Weird Girls a try and get a feel for the writing and the characters before the first book, Sealed with a Curse. However, after reading the novella, I can't tell whether it was a good idea or not, because frankly, based on what I read, I'm not sure I would have picked up Sealed with a Curse ^_^; Except lucky for the author, I had already pre-ordered the book so eventually, I'll give it a try. Overall, I can't exactly pinpoint what didn't work for me with The Weird Girls except to say that the story just didn't hook me. I actually quite liked the premise of the series - the four sisters being cursed, which is why I decided to give the series a go... but the series was underwhelming. There was a lot of set up for the world and the characters and perhaps along with the fight with the coven, it was too much. It'd have been better for Ms Robson to decide what she wanted to accomplish with this novella - introduce the series or tell a story. Also, I just didn't connect with Celia who was the narrator. I think it was the whole "everyone is attracted to my sisters because they are hot, but not me because I'm scary." She's also very protective of her sisters and self-sacrificing and in the end, sounded a bit too martyr-ish to my tastes.

The novella wasn't all that bad; however, I didn't feel the need to rush for the next book and that speaks volume right?


3) The First Prophet by Kay Hooper: C

4) Cracking the Dating Code by Kelly Hunter: C+

In the past couple of years, I've started building up a list of auto-buy authors for category romance and Ms Hunter is one of them :) I enjoyed the first book in this series, Flirting with Intent, and it was just a matter of time for me to pick up Cracking the Dating Code. The heroine of this book is Poppy West, a genius at cracking code. Good thing to because that's exactly what she needs to do in order to find out whether her eldest brother is still alive or not and what he's been up to. Since what she's about to do is ultra secret, she needs an ultra secret place to do it and her co-worker offers her the use of his island... whose currently only occupant is his brother, Sebastian Reyne. Attraction sparks between them, but Poppy is shy and socially awkward... and therefore decides to ask Sebastian to teach her how to flirt. As for Sebastian, he thought the last thing he needed at the moment was a woman, but perhaps he was wrong?

All in all, I did enjoy Cracking the Dating Code, but I thought something was missing to the story such as some intensity and some development. I felt the first half of the story that took place on the island was quite slow. Not much happened as both our H/H were absorbed by their own worries and therefore spent little time together. And when Sebastian finally admitted he was attracted to Poppy, there was the whole worry about whether his brother was also attracted to her as well. Finally, when Poppy and Sebastian got off the island, the story picked up, but it was already too late. I feel Poppy and Sebastian were given obstacles - and serious ones at that, but the way it was addressed in Cracking the Dating Code made them superficial and easily rectifiable. Otherwise, I enjoyed Poppy and Sebastian's pairing :) I find Poppy's flirting lessons were the best moments of the story because the characters were witty and spontaneous :)

5) The Navy Seal's Bride by Soraya Lane: D

I've heard a lot of good about Ms Lane's writing and I've been meaning to give it a try, but I think I chose the wrong book ^_^; In The Navy Seal's Bride, the hero, Tom Cartwright, is an ex-Navy SEAL due to an injury that has robbed part of his hearing and not surprisingly, is struggling to adjust to his new civilian life. While his brother and sister-in-law have are on their second honeymoon, Tom is baby-sitting his niece Gabby and that's how he meets Caitlin Rose, Gabby's teacher. Caitlin is attracted to Tom, but wary of his military background because she's had bad experiences in the past... and Tom's occasional spurts of anger due to this injury do nothing to reassure her.

I thought the beginning of The Navy Seal's Bride was very promising. I loved the relationship between Tom and his niece, Gabby. It was so heart-warming and cute LOL. I also admired the tight bond Tom had with his brother and sister-in-law. They had each other's back and given their line of work, that was very reassuring for each of them... But that's about all I enjoyed about the book ^_^; The romance simply didn't work for me in The Navy Seal's Bride. Tom and Caitlin didn't seem to have any chemistry together, especially since she was so wary of him. Every time he'd get angry, she'd start to reassess him and their relationship. That made it hard for me to believe the HEA ending at the end. It would have been more realistic if it's been more gradual. Something else that didn't work for me was Tom's frustration at his injury. I know it's hard for him that his career ended in that way, that he's lost a lot... but it's been done so many times that it just bored and annoyed me. Also the fact that Caitlin had a past and that it was Tom's waking call to stop being so down because of his injury just seemed too convenient. And once again, the changes in Tom's attitude were just too rapid to be believable.

All in all, the story and romance just did not work for me. I'll have to try another book to find out what's all the buzz about Ms Lane.


6) The Other Side of Us by Sarah Mayberry: C
Upcoming Review


7) The Importance of Being Wicked by Victoria Alexander: B

8) My Bluegrass Baby by Molly Harper: C

My Bluegrass Baby is a novella by Ms Harper and since I enjoyed her writing a lot, there was no doubt I'd be picking this up. Sadie Hutchins works for the Kentucky Tourism Commission and loves her job, loves advertising the quirky tourist spots in Kentucky. She's expecting to become the new director of the marketing department. That is until there's a new candidate for the position, Josh Vaughn. His plan is to promote a sophisticated, high-end image of Kentucky which is totally opposite to Sadie's vision... which is good as each will have to create a new publicity campaign to see who will become the new director.

My Bluegrass Baby was a nice, light-hearted novella. There wasn't as many LOL moments than in most of Ms Harper's book, but it was still funny and enjoyable. I thought both the story and the characters were interesting... to a certain point. I liked the setting - the Kentucky Tourism Commission - and the idea that both Sadie and Josh had to show what they are made of to earn the job, especially since the two really have contrasting styles and visions. The problem with the novella was that the whole story was a little bit passive. We were told more than we were shown and as a result, it felt a little bit draggy in the second half. I think the novella would have been better if it had been written at the 3rd person and if readers had had Josh's POV. We would have had a better sense of what was going. Not only would it have benefited the story, but also the romance. As it is, it felt like Sadie and Josh did a 180 degree on their feelings for each other. They started out despising each other, mostly because they had opposing visions of how to promote Kentucky tourism and are competing for the same position. Yes, there was a little bit of attraction, after all, they are both good-looking, and I know they got to know each other better by working together, but I'd have liked to see those interactions more instead of the office wars.

So an enjoyable novella with a different subject matter, but not the best I've read from this author.

9) Deck the Halls with Love by Lorraine Heath: C+

Readers got to meet the hero of this novella, the Marquess of Chetwyn, in Lord of Temptation, the second book of The Lost Lords of Pembrook trilogy. I really liked what I read of Chetwyn's character in Lord of Temptation - it's rare to see the jilted party so open-minded, gracious and kind - and was really hoping he'd get his own story. Well my wish came true with Deck the Halls with Love. We find out that before Chetwyn proposed to Lady Anne, his dead brother's fiancée, out of misplaced duty to his brother's memory, he was actually courting Lady Meredith Hargreaves to whom he was attracted to and the feelings were reciprocated. Now, Lady Meredith is engaged to another man because she was caught in a compromising situation - a kiss ^_^; However, Chetwyn doesn't intend to lose her twice... even if it means stealing her from another man.

To be honest, I was expecting more out of this novella. I mean, the story was cute and sweet and the characters, nice. Also, the beginning and ending were fun and clever... But all in all, I feel there was the potential for so much more in this novella and it wasn't reached because of the length. Seriously, I would have had no trouble reading a full-length novel with Chetwyn and Lady Meredith and it would have given Ms Heath the chance to flesh out the storyline a lot more. First, Chetwyn needed to grovel a bit more. Only logical after he broke Lady Meredith's heart by proposing to another woman, no? Second, I liked the direction where Ms Heath was going with Meredith's engagement. She was obliged to accept the proposal of a man she wasn't sure to love because they were caught in a kiss. Should she really risk her happiness because of a kiss? Of course, perhaps she shouldn't have allowed the kiss in the first place, but still. And then, what if the kiss and being caught had been orchestrated? I would have liked to see that part more fleshed out, but of course, it was impossible due to the length. Since what I've been wishing was impossible, I would have settled for simply more interactions between Chetwyn and Meredith, because most of it, most of their falling in love had happened prior to the story and therefore off-pages ^_^;

All in all, a cute novella, but I think Ms Heath missed a good opportunity for a great novel as she had a good story and very nice characters. Also, this is not aimed specifically at Ms Heath, but I'm really tired of heroes who propose to women they don't love because they think that taking care of someone = marriage!! Seriously, how dense can they be?


10) Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong: B


11) Forbidden by Kelley Armstrong: B

***

Balance
Books bought: +5
Books read: -11
TBR pile: -6


Genres
Category Romance - 3
      --> (Contemporary - 3)
Contemporary Romance - 1
Historical Romance - 2
      --> (Regency - 2)
Mystery/Thriller - 1
Urban Fantasy - 4

***

All right, so it seems I'm not very good at writing reviews without summarizing the plots ^_^; But at least, I put less pressure on myself to do so and it seems to work :P Let see how the next Monthly Reads post goes, because I'm really dreading that one...

Anyway, looking back on December, it was an okay month. It started out with a bang with  Cold Days which was my best read in 2012 and it ended on a high note with two books from one of my favorite authors :) Middle of the month though was so-so... However, I kind of expected it. December is always a tough reading month for me, because there's almost no new releases! You'd think it'd be the perfect time for me to catch up on books I hadn't have the chance to read during the year... but it's not the case! Instead, I go into a funk because there's no new releases to buy and read, then I start worrying about my final number of books read during the year - which is why there are so many novellas. And of course, holidays season starts and I get busy with this and that and end up having not as much time to read as I expected. Oh well, maybe I'll learn something and have a better plan for this year's December LOL.

So how was your month of December? Do you even remember it? LOL.

Review: Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements and The Importance of Being Wicked by Victoria Alexander

Hey there :) I'm still catching up on my reviews for 2012. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get to the 2013 books ^_^; However, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so hopefully, very soon :)

Enjoy!

Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements by Victoria Alexander
published by Kensington in November 2012

Allow me to explain...

Some say I do not take my engagements seriously. Nonsense. What man with no interest in marriage would find himself proposing not once, but three times? And each time, I’ve felt certain that this, at last, is the absolutely, positively, perfect woman.

Miss Felicia Whitingdon, for instance, has youth, beauty, style, grace—and a handsome fortune. Lady Lucille Eustice is a widow of impeccable social standing, and a balm to my soul. Then there is Miss Caroline Hibbit, sweet and charming in every way. Any one of these intoxicating treasures could make a man happy. Any one of them could be an ideal wife. But which—if any of them—will it be?

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Prequel to The Importance of Being Wicked

The Story: In What Happens at Christmas, we were introduced to Winfield Elliott, Viscount Stillwell, and learned that he had three failed engagements under his belt. As you can guess from the title of this short novella, well in Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements, we find out why these three engagements never resulted in weddings.

My Opinion: Oh my, did I enjoy this novella!! I thought that Winfield was one of the highlights of What Happens at Christmas, just such a fun character, and I was thrilled to find out he was getting his own book. And then, I found out about this novella and I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I thought this would give us a good glimpse of his personality... and guess what? I was right :)

All in all, I thought Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements was a charming novella. I enjoyed getting to know Winfield, what kind of man he was. I liked that he was your typical historical hero: handsome, wealthy, a bit of a wicked reputation, witty and charming. So why three failed engagements?! What happened? It was also interesting to see the growth and the maturity Winfield gained after each failed engagement. It wasn't as if he was repeating the same mistake. Not at all. Each time, he took into account why it failed and tried to find a bride that suit him better... and still no wedding. Best of all is Winfield's behavior afterwards, each time, he was the perfect gentleman.

I also enjoyed the insights we got on the dynamics of the Elliotts: Winfield's relationships with his father, mother and cousin. His family was very tight and they supported him, his parents tried to steer him at times, but ultimately, it was always Winfield's decisions and choices. It's nice to see a non-dysfunctional family from time to time :)

Finally, I thought it was a very good idea on Ms Alexander's part to write this novella. I think it was clever of her, because readers got to know Winfield better, but also learned the details of each engagement. I'm not sure it would have been possible for Ms Alexander to include all these details in The Importance of Being Wicked without cluttering the storyline, making it too much.

My Grade: A. I simply really enjoyed Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements - the writing, the characters and the story being told :) After reading this, all I could think was how lovely it would be to see Winfield finally fall in love and I just couldn't wait to get my hands on The Importance of Being Wicked. So mission accomplished for Ms Alexander with this novella :)


The Importance of Being Wicked by Victoria Alexander

published by Kensington in January 2013

For Winfield Elliott, Viscount Stillwell, finding a prospective bride always seemed easy. Perhaps too easy. With three broken engagements to his name, Win is the subject of endless gossip. Yet his current mission is quite noble: to hire a company to repair his family’s fire-damaged country house. Nothing disreputable in that—until the firm’s representative turns out to be a very desirable widow.

Lady Miranda Garrett expected a man of Win’s reputation to be flirtatious, even charming. But the awkward truth is that she finds him thoroughly irresistible. While Miranda resides at Millworth to oversee the work, Win occupies her days, her dreams…and soon, her bed. For the first time, the wicked Win has fallen in love. And what began as a scandalous proposition may yet become a very different proposal...

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Millworth Manor, Book #1/Sinful Family Secrets, Book #3/connected to What Happens at Christmas

The Story: The blurb is fairly accurate. Winfield Elliott's country home estate, Fairborough Hall, was badly damaged during a fire and he wants to restore it to its glory. For such an important task, it is primordial for Winfield to select the best architectural firm. However, among his options, only Garret and Tempest would give him a guarantee that the ballroom would be ready by late June which would allow Winfield's family to host their annual ball made even more important by the Queen's presence.

Miranda, Lady Garret, is a widow and has been in charge of her late husband's architectural firm ever since his death. The truth though is that Miranda was involved with the firm even before her husband's death as she was responsible for the designs of the majority of the plans. However, this is a secret she intends to keep as she doesn't know how her proper aristocratic family, the Hadley-Attwaters, would react if they knew she was a business woman. Usually, she has an employee who would make the liaison between the client and herself; however, due to some circumstance, he wouldn't be available and Miranda would had to be the one overseeing the work at Fairborough Hall. Miranda is quite apprehensive at the idea of working with Winfield, after all, the disreputable lord has three broken engagements to his name, but the Fairborough Hall is an important project which could open many doors for her firm...

At first, Miranda and Winfield don't really hit it off, but as time goes, attraction grows... Will this woman be the right one for Winfield?

My Opinion: After reading Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on The Importance of Being Wicked and as such, the expectations were very high. So let see how the book worked out for me :)

As it turns out, there was a lot of elements in The Importance of Being Wicked that I enjoyed :)  Obviously, there was the main characters, Miranda and Winfield. It's interesting because in The Importance of Being Wicked, we were shown a different side of Winfield, one that I didn't really expect. Oh, he was still quite charming - but the thing is Miranda saw right through him LOL - and he was also conservative and a bit stodgy. That really surprised me because we hadn't seen that in What Happens at Christmas and Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements. Still, it made sense since he took his responsibilities quite seriously... and that's something I liked about Winfield. He embraced his responsibilities, it's where he took refuge after his first broken engagements. It never felt like he was forced into it because he was the heir or because it was expected of him... There was also quite some pride in his accomplishments and therefore, while this new side of him was unexpected, it fit. As for Miranda, I quite liked her... but her personality was a bit mute in comparison to Winfield. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Miranda was finally finding herself. For years, she's lived a double life: the proper lady with her family and the savvy businesswoman, and she's kept those two lives very separate... but with Winfield, she finally could be the woman she's become. I also liked the fact that she acknowledged she's changed from whom she was when she first married. Anyway, all to say that I think Ms Alexander came up with good characters :)

I also quite enjoyed the romance. I liked it because Miranda and Winfield really took their time, got to know each other. This was very important given that Miranda and Winfield didn't hit it off immediately and it made the romance more believable. I also very much enjoyed Miranda and Winfield's interactions because it was interesting and witty. LOL, I gotta say, I loved how Miranda and Winfield each tried to get the upper hand and it was fun to see Miranda succeeds :) It was also a joy to see Winfield fall in love, just as I predicted it was going to be. Just because he didn't expect it to happen with Miranda and had to work hard at it LOL. I think  better in her review

Finally, what worked the best for me in The Importance of Being Wicked was the dynamics between all the characters and their relationships. I'm not just talking about the H/H, but everyone: Winfield with his cousin, with his parents, Miranda with her sister, with Winfield's mother, etc. The interactions were just fun and really set the tone of the book. They made the story more entertaining with all the LOL moments they provided :) Also, it's nice to have two normal families. Okay, not totally normal as I think some members were a bit quirky, but at least, functional families whose members all got along well and with no dark secrets. It was a very nice backdrop for Miranda and Winfield and allowed them to shine :)

However, as much as I enjoyed The Importance of Being Wicked, I can't help but feel something was missing. Perhaps it's because expectations were very high and I was sooo excited to read this book - anticipation can really kill a book ^_^; At this point though, it's still hard for me to pinpoint exactly what was missing. Maybe more scenes between Miranda and Winfield at the beginning of their relationship to show us how they overcame their first impressions... Maybe recognition from Miranda's part that Winfield wasn't such a scoundrel and was the wronged party in all three broken engagements. Even now, I still can't pinpoint what was missing, but I know it kept The Importance of Being Wicked from being a true wowzer.

My Grade: B. This grade is how I felt after reading The Importance of Being Wicked; however, as I mentioned above, anticipation can kill a book and that's what happened a little for me. It didn't ruin the book, but it took something away :( I suspect was I to re-read the book, I'd enjoy it a lot more, because all in all, The Importance of Being Wicked was a very good book :) It had good characters, a satisfying, slow-building romance and witty dialogues :) I'm definitively looking forward to the next book in the series!!