Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord - Sarah Maclean

"Lord Nicholas is a paragon of manhood. And his eyes, Dear Reader! So blue!”

Pearls & Pelisses, June 1823

Since being named on of London’s "Lords to Land" by a popular ladies’ magazine, Nicholas St. John has been relentlessly pursued by every matrimony-minded female in the ton. So when an opportunity to escape fashionable society presents itself, he eagerly jumps—only to land in the path of the most determined, damnably delicious woman he’s ever met! The daughter of a titled wastrel,

Lady Isabel Townsend has too many secrets and too little money. Though used to taking care of herself quite handily, her father’s recent passing has left Isabel at sea and in need of outside help to protect her young brother’s birthright. The sinfully handsome, eminently eligible Lord Nicholas could be the very salvation she seeks.

But the lady must be wary and not do anything reckless…like falling madly, passionately in love.

Ten Ways is the follow up book to Sarah Maclean's first book Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake.

I loved this book but I must confess I did not love it as much as Nine Rules but please do not take that the wrong way!! I had a huge crush on Nicholas after reading Nine Rules and was sooo happy to read his story and have been waiting for it for what feels like forever!!

I have to say I loved Isabel. She was tough and was willing to do whatever it took, including repairing roofs, to protect her family and the girls she helped. But beneath the toughness was just a girl. A girl who wanted to believe in love but after seeing what happened between her parents it was hard fo her.

Also, Nicholas' parents were not the perfect example for a marriage. Nicholas has searched his whole life to overcome his parents woos. He tries to make his father love him after his mother leaves by being the best in school when that didn't work he felt the compelling need to save women and in one instance it lands him in a Turkish prison and scarred physically and also makes him realize maybe he should not try to save every woman he comes across.

I love how Isabel tries sooo hard to resist Nicholas when all the while he slowly melting her defenses and leaving her with no other option but to love him and maybe to open her heart for the first time.  So needless to say these two would both have to overcome their presumptions of love and marriage and realize that they are not their parents and are not necessarily doomed to repeat their mistakes.

Again, Sarah does a wonderful job with secondary characters...OMG I was in love with Rock (Nicholas' friend) and I was glad to see that he found some happiness too!!

I cannot wait to read the next book in this series and I hope it is about Nicholas' sister and I sooo hope she brings that nasty Duke down a notch we met in the first book. (If you want you can go HERE to read my review of Nine Rules.

If you want to read Nicholas and Isabel's story just go here -->Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord

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Currently Reading - Rules of an Engagement by Suzanne Enoch
Up Next - A Groom of One's Own by Maya Rodale

The Year of Living Scandalously - Julia London

In 1792, the village of Hadley Green executed a man for stealing the Countess of Ashwood’s historic jewels. Fifteen years later, questions still linger. Was it a crime of greed—or of passion?


When Declan O’Connor, Earl of Donnelly, arrives at Hadley Green to meet with Lily Boudine, the new countess of Ashwood, he immediately recognizes the lovely woman who welcomes him. Pretending to be her cousin Lily in an attempt to avoid an unwanted marriage, Keira Hannigan is staying at the estate while Lily is abroad. When Declan threatens to expose her, Keira convinces him to guard her secret, then enlists him in her investigation of the missing jewels, for she now believes an innocent man was hanged.

Unable to deny the beautiful, exasperating Keira—or their simmering passion—Declan reluctantly agrees. But neither is prepared for the dangerous stranger who threatens to reveal Keira’s lies . . . and Declan knows he must protect Keira at all costs, for she is the woman who now owns his heart.

I love, love, love Julia London. She is one of my favorite authors and whenever she has a new historical romance out I feel like I have to run to the store to get it!!

This book kicks off her new Hadley Green series. And it was, in my opinion, the perfect starting point. I absolutely loved the characters I mean how could I not the hero of the story was Declan Donnelly who is Irish. Just a side note for you guys my ultimate fantasy guy (other than Alexander Skarsgard of course) is an Irish guy who sings and who can speak Gaelic...is that asking too much?? Uh probably!! That is why I love Jonathan Rhys Meyers soo much because he is Irish and after seeing August Rush and finding out he can sing...OH YEAH he is everything ...well that is if he can speak Gaelic!! I loved Declan he was not perfect. He had flaws as did Keira. Also after reading the book I found the perfect theme song for Declan. It is Jane Child's Don't Wanna Fall in Love because he really wasn't looking to fall in love especially not with Keira Hannigan because of their past together. Some of the lyrics are "I don't wanna fall in love no..no. Love cuts just like a knife...woohoo...you make that knife feel good"...also if you wanna hear the whole thing hear ya go...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWd__w5UWVc  (uh just ignore the hot 80'sness, LOL!!!)

I think what I love most about Julia London's books are they are refreshing and funny and the people are real. They aren't cookie cutter perfect. They have flaws and are a bit rough around the edges so therefore you cannot help but root for them to get their own happy ever after!!

Also Mrs. London left me hanging on the edge of my seat with the last chapter setting up the next book so needless to say I'm sooo excited to read the next chapter in the Hadley Green series!!

If you want to read Declan and Keira's story just go here--> The Year of Living Scandalously (Secrets of Hadley Green 1)


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Currently Reading - Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah McLean

Up Next - Rules of an Engagement - Suzanne Enoch

The Surrender of a Lady - Tiffany Clare

THE PRICE OF PASSION…


Sold. With one word, Lady Elena Ravenscliffe’s destiny changes forever. Forced into Constantinople’s slave market to pay off her late husband’s debts and save her son, Elena reinvents herself as Jinan—a harem girl adored by the rich lords who bid on her favors. But one man instantly sees through her façade.

…IS COMPLETE SURRENDER

Griffin Summerfield, Marquess of Rothburn, let Elena slip through his fingers years ago. When he recognizes her on the auction block, he pays an outrageous sum to possess her even if it is for a short period of time. But when his deadline looms, Griffin will risk all in a desperate bid to make her his—and his alone…


I really wanted to be able to say I absolutely loved this book. I really, honestly and truly did. Look first of all let me say while I didn't love it completely I didn't hate it either. I loved the characters and found them to be refreshing. I also loved the descriptive details of the book. I literally could feel myself in the gardens of the harem and at times I thought I could smell the flowers.

First of all let me say I love the love scenes in romance novels...there I said it!! I admit it openly to all of you but that isn't the only reason why I read them. I read them because there is always a "happily ever after". I love reading about love basically, LOL!! I think what I love more though is the anticipation. The build up to it. The tension between our hero and heroine. Most romance novels have 2 maybe 3 love scenes depending on the number of pages of the book. Now some do have more and I've read those and not been bothered by it and absolutely adored the book. This one it just seemed that there was an overabundance of it. But on the flip side I understand why I mean our heroine was living in a harem for five years (not by choice mind you). I just felt maybe some of it was a little unnecessary.

So I am going to give this book a Sexiness Rating of five flames for obvious reasons but I've been torn while writing this review about the Overall Rating. My initial reaction was to give it three stars but then I thought you know I should give it four because it was a fresh and new idea...definitely not one I've ever read before that I can remember anyway. So I think I will go with the four stars. I will definitely be getting the next book in this series and maybe with it not taking place in a harem there will be just a little less "love" in it.

If you are interested in reading this story just go here --> The Surrender of a Lady

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A Hellion in Her Bed - Sabrina Jeffries

There are some things here that some might consider spoilers so you have been warned!!

Furious at grandmother’s ultimatum to marry or lose his inheritance, Lord Jarret Sharpe wagers his luck—and his heart—at the card table against a most unlikely opponent.


Mired in scandal after his parents’ mysterious deaths, notorious gambler Lord Jarret Sharpe agrees to tamely run the family’s brewery for a year if his Machiavellian grandmother rescinds her ultimatum that he marry. But the gambler in him can’t resist when beguiling Annabel Lake proposes a wager. If she wins their card game, he must help save her family’s foundering brewery. But if he wins, she must spend a night in his bed. The outcome sets off a chain of events that threatens to destroy all his plans…and unveils the secret Annabel has held for so long. When Jarret discovers the darker reason behind her wager, he forces her into another one—and this time he intends to win not just her body, but her heart.

This is book two in the Hellions of Halstead Hall series or the Sharpe Family. The first book was The Secret Life of Lord Stoneville. I can't remember if I put a review up here or not....*blank look* oh well it's late and I'm tired so I really don't feel the need to tax my brain any further!
 
This book is about Jarrett Sharpe. After the mysterious deaths of his parents and after having been told by his grandmother that at the age of 13 he was too young to run the family brewery Jarrett Sharpe and finds himself pretty damned good at cards. So then he finds himself 19 years later and having spent his life gambling, wenching (ohhh I love that word, LOL). He has made a living out of it. But soon his grandmother gives an ultimate to all the Sharpe children - "marry in one year or lose their inheritance". Luckily Jarrett is able to maneuver around this by agreeing to run the brewery for a year.
 
Soon he runs into Annabel Lake whose family brewery is struggling and has decided to turn to Plumtree Brewery for help. She thinks she will find Lady Plumtree at the helm but who she finds is none other than Jarrett Sharpe.  He first refuses her scheme to sell to the East but concedes and agrees to speak to his grandmother. But Annabel is desperate and she agrees to a wager...beat him at cards and he helps Lake Ale but if he wins she must share his bed. *gasp*...juicy, no??
 
Well with a stroke of luck (and also with the help of nagging of his friends) Jarrett loses. So he sets out to help Annabel and her brewery. Soon he discovers that Anna is full of surprises and mysteries. Her family is hiding several secrets. One she lies and says her brother is ill that is why he can't run the brewery but in fact he is just a drunk. And second Anna at a young age falls for a man who after "taking certain liberties" joins the army and is killed but Anna finds herself pregnant and to save her child the humilation of being labeled a bastard her brother and sister in law make it seem as if the child is theirs.
 
He is furious at her deceit but also he realizes he understands her reasoning behind it and also she melts his heart like no other and for the first time he is willing to gamble with his heart.
 
I truly liked Jarret and Annabel although there were a few times I wanted to bop her on the head but then she would redeem herself and I would breathe a sigh of relief.
 
Also the back of the book had an excerpt for Minerva's book (she is my fave) and I cannot wait to read it!!

But if you want to read Jarrett and Anna's story just go here --> A Hellion in Her Bed (Hellions of Halstead Hall) and if you are saying I didn't read the first one then go here to read Oliver's story -->The Truth About Lord Stoneville (Hellions of Halstead Hall)

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Currently Reading: The Surrender of a Lady by Tiffany Clare
Up Next: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (gotta throw in something other than a romance to keep me from getting bored)

Love & Bullets - Mary Kate Kopec

Devon Monroe, ex-Agency man turned security pro, couldn’t keep a hit from taking down the husband of the woman he loves. And guilt has kept him from seeing her since. Now three years later, she’s the one in danger, and she doesn’t know it. Not yet. Will he be able to keep her alive and finally uncover the unbelievable truth? Will she ever be able to love him without blaming him for her husband’s death? Only time, a traitor, and a family secret will tell.


Giffin Reese, widow of Senator John Reese, and all-around-do-gooder philanthropist, is on a mission. All she wants to do is help people who can’t help themselves. But helping others just may get her killed. She hasn’t seen Devon since the dust settled, and now here he is, offering to be her own personal badass on the same day she gets an unwanted ride from three men with a warning: Stop what you are doing or die!

First let me start by saying I'm a fan of the author of this book, Mary Kate Kopec, on Facebook and I did when a free copy in a contest she had on her page. OK so now on to the review shall we:

It has been three years since Devon and Giffin had seen one another and the reason for that was the death of Giffin's husband, Senator John Reese. Devon was supposed to find the threat to his life but in the end he was not able to get to the bottom of it before he was murdered.

Giffin honestly and truly cared and loved her husband but to say their love was passionate would be pushing it. He treated her well and cared for her and that is all she really asked until she met Devon the head of her husband's security detail.

So after three years the threat has come back in Giffin's life and so has Devon and if he has a say he will stay there for good.

What transpires is a story of getting second chances and life and at the end there is a lot of action by way of bullets flying, car chases, and blood spilled. This book had both action and romance. Also, for me I loved the secondary characters more most particularly Devon's sister Maddie. Also hopefully we will get to read her story soon...because she was just so freaking adorable and cute!!

There is an undeniable tension between Giffin and Devon and when they finally decide to act on it the sparks fly...talk about HOT!! I really did love this book and mostly because of the action...that is what made me love it soo much because I love the thrill!!

If you wanna give this a read just go here to get your own copy --> Love & Bullets

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Currently Reading: A Hellion in Her Bed - Sabrina Jeffries

Three Nights with a Scoundrel - Tessa Dare

The third time is the charm.


The bastard son of a nobleman, Julian Bellamy is now polished to perfection, enthralling the ton with wit and charm while clandestinely plotting to ruin the lords, ravish the ladies, and have the last laugh on a society that once spurned him. But meeting Leo Chatwick, a decent man and founder of the exclusive Stud Club, and Lily, Leo’s enchanting sister, made Julian reconsider his wild ways. When Leo’s tragic murder demands that Julian hunt for justice, he vows to see the woman he secretly loves married to a man of her own class.

Lily, however, has a very different husband in mind. She’s adored Julian forever, loves the man beneath the rakish facade, and wants to savor the delicious attraction they share — as his wife. His insistence on marrying her off only reinforces her intent to prove he is the only man for her. Obsessed with catching a killer, Julian sinks back to the gutters of his youth, forcing Lily to reach out with a sweet, reckless passion Julian can’t resist. Can her desire for a scoundrel save them both–or will dangerous secrets threaten more than their tender love?

Alright here we are....the conclusion of Tessa Dare's new trilogy. This book ranks second for me in the books with the first one One Dance with a Duke being my favorite.
 
Although, I say that you must know one and two are pretty much like a micrometer away. So yeah okay you say...whatever you crazy lady, LOL!!
 
This book follows Julian Bellamy the best friend of Leo Chatwick (the guy killed in the first book) and his sister Lily Chatwick.
 
Being born "on the wrong side of the blanket" Julian never felt he was good enough for Lily so he is bound and determined to see her married off but with Lily's deafness even her beauty will be hard for the stuckup snobs of the ton to accept. So even though Julian ever determined to marry her off she is even more determine to prove that the perfect man for her is Julian Bellamy...but is that really who he is?
 
Julian lives a double life. On the one hand is the rake, scoundrel and unmitigated ass Julian Bellamy who no one really knows about but yet they still want him around. The one guy all the young nobleman want to be with his devil may care hair, flashy clothes and even his womenly conquests. The other side is James Bell the tradesman with his many investments who is unimaginably wealthy but with a sordid past he wants nothing more than to overcome.
 
Lily wants nothing more than to have Julian (or is it James) marry her. She soon gets her wish and then the strings start to unravel.
 
We soon find out that Leo's murder was not anything more than a brutish singled out attack and not some pre-meditated threat on Julian's life. Well the brutes that killed him met their ends. Soon Julian has to reveal his true self to Lily which she openly accepts.
 
I love Tessa Dare's characters. She makes you feel for them. She makes you want them to be happy and you actually find yourself worrying about their happily ever afters. Also, I love her epilogues they are just sooo fantastic and from them she has a host of new characters to write books about!!
 
This book is warm, sexy, funny and just down right awesome!! The book ended the series on a very high note and in fact my favorite part was actually the epilogue and the scene between Julian and Lily at the very end...I won't give it away...hehehehehe!!
 
So if you want to read Julian and Lily's story just go here --> Three Nights with a Scoundrel

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Up next: Love and Bullets by Mary Kate Kopec

The Devil Wears Plaid - Teresa Medeiros

AN INNOCENT WOMAN

Emmaline Marlow is about to wed the extremely powerful laird of the Hepburn clan to save her father from debtor's prison when ruffian Jamie Sinclair bursts into the abbey on a magnificent black horse and abduts her in one strong swoop. Though he is Hepburn's sworn enemy, Emma's mysterious captor is everything her bridegroom is not--handsome, virile, dangerous...and a perilous temptation for her yearning heart.

A DANGEROUS MAN
Jamie expects Emma to be some milksop English miss, not a fiery, defiant beauty whose irresistible charms will tempt him at every turn. But he cannot allow either one of them to forget he is her enemy and she his pawn in the deadly Highland feud between the clans. Stealing his enemy's bride was simple, but can he claim her innocence without losing his heart?

I was sooo excited to get this book because one Teresa Medeiros has quickly become probably my favorite historical romance author and two it involves a Scottish Highlander...mmmmm yummy!! Not only was it a Highlander (oh those kilts...*swoon*) but a kidnapped bride to boot!! I love that storyline and for me it never gets old and Mrs. Medeiros makes it even more wonderful!!

Emmaline Marlowe had resigned herself to marry the rich Hepburn in order to not only save her father from the workhouse and give her sisters a chance at good matches but to atone for her so called sins when she was merely seventeen.

Jamie Sinclair wants nothing more than the Hepburn to admit his grizzly hand in the death of Jamie' parents and he thinks the only way to do this is to capture his bride-to-be and hold her for ransom...not gold nor diamonds but the truth.

The Hepburns and the Sinclairs are sworn enemies and when Jamie's parents (a tale of Romeo and Juliet - one a Hepburn and the other a Sinclair) fall in love and have Jamie out of wedlock they are murdered when they were allegedly heading to get married. Jamie's search for the truth will bring him the one thing he never planned on or thought he would ever want or need...true love. With Emmaline's strength and courage Jamie finds that icy heart of his melting at a mere touch of her lips and when the truth finally comes out it will only be Emma's love that will keep him grounded.

OH MY GOSH I so wish I could tell you guys what really happens but I do not want to spoil it!! I love, love, love Teresa Medeiros...she is the freaking bomb diggity schizzle!! She makes the plot fast paced but doesn't skimp out on any details which is AH-MAZING!! Also, her love scenes just have soo much more passion and feeling than a lot of others I read. She also has a lot of humor in her books which I love a lot because some books can get soo loaded down with drama and heavy things that there is nothing there to break it up but I love when every now and then you find yourself laughing out loud. Although when you are in a public place and people look at you oddly it might not be a good thing but then again who cares what others think when you are reading an awesome story!!

If you want to get your hands on Jamie and Emma's story then just go here --> The Devil Wears Plaid to get your very own copy!!!

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HOLY COW I still have forgotten my review on The Expendables I'm beginning to think I will never remember it!!