To rescue her family from financial ruin, lovely Victoria Shelby has no choice but to marry. Her options for a bridegroom are limited...until she remembers the shy servant boy next door. Then she discovers that her childhood friend is actually Viscount Thurlow--ruthless businessman, future earl, and a man whose family is shrouded in scandal.

After two rejected marriage proposals, David Thurlow needs a wife who will give him an heir, someone who will not only overlook his past but also be above reproach. Victoria is the ideal candidate--quiet, unassuming, and in desperate need of funds. But even as she strives to be the perfect wife, David's
slow heated lessons in the art of seduction threaten to transform a convenient" marriage into a torrid and passionate affair.


The blurb sounded so promising but unfortunately the book did not quite live up to the promise.
Not that it was a bad book, just not very exciting or worldrocking, but still entertaining.
Secrets, misunderstanding and scandal rule their worlds but Victoria and David find each other in a nice average story. Their childhood fascination with each other, getting to know each other just by secret entries in a journal, grows into love despite all the scandals.
Scandals which are made bigger by themselves and which would weigh much less on their minds if they opened up earlier to each other.
But it's nice to read how Victoria’s low selfconfidence is developed and strenghtened by David's confidence in her and David's harsh exterior and behaviour changes when he marries Victoria.
The marriage starts as a means to and end for both of them but progresses to be strong and filled with their mutual love.

Despite the averageness of the book I'm still curious to learn the stories of Victoria's sisters, they will be told in book 2 and 3 of this trilogy and hopefully, the average start of book 1 will grow into stronger and better installements with the stories of Meriel and Louisa.

Marnie Wright has seen her fair share of testosterone, having grown up with four over-protective brothers. But now a long haired mountain man named Jake Dolan has invaded a peaceful day of soul-searching at her grandmother's old cabin. Sure, she was trespassing on his private property, but did he have to pull a gun on her? After being stashed in his secret underground lair – complete with security monitors and a huge arsenal – Marnie realizes the guy is military, top secret, military. Yet he also has the most beautiful mouth she has ever seen.

The last thing Jake wants in his dangerous life is a woman. Doesn't like them. Doesn't need them. But a man would have to be dead not to fall for the sexy-as-sin Marnie Wright. But how could he have feelings for someone who may be killed for being close to him? His days, after all, are numbered...

Marnie Wright goes to her grandmother's cabin on the mountain to decide what she really wants to do with her life. She wants to get away from her 4 bossy brothers and father who pamper her and actually live her life for her.
She runs straight into Jake Dolan, who turns out to be just the man for her, although he's even bossier than her brothers and father combined.
Jake is part of an organization that fights terrorists (T-FLAC) and he's being framed as a mole.

They are the school example of opposites that attract. Marnie a delicate and petite blonde. Jake a big, sometimes rude, and dark black ops officer on suspension. Marnie has a tendancy to babble and speak her mind without thinking. Jake is a man of few words which he certainly doesn't waste on unneccesary conversation. But their attraction to each other is strong and undeniable, even for Jake.

Then a group of assassins come for Jake. And this is a turning point in the book. The petite and delicate Marnie truly stands her ground and saves Jake's life a few times and she proves to be someone you can rely on when you have a group of terrorist assasins trying to off you.


I thought this was a great book and I think I'm hooked on Cherry Adair now. Her writing style is plain, simple, action-packed and fast-paced. The suspense she creates is awesome and so are the characters, both main and secondary. There's no feeling of the story being rushed into a satisfying ending but a well rounded good story with awesome suspense building and a lot of action. Trees crashing on cabins, gunfights, fistfights, assassins, hiding in an underground hightech lair....I just kept reading and reading just wanting to find out what would happen next.

But there are also the feeings between Marnie and Jake and the dilemma's they each have to deal with. There is Jake's loneliness, Marnie's sorrow and grief for her grandmother and the way she tries to get a hold of her own life. And in the midst of all this there's love and passion in some beautiful love scenes. I had a lot of lumps in the throat moments but there were also scenes I couldn't help but smile.

This was my first romantic suspense novel I ever read and I must say if other books in this genre are like this one, it defenitely wasn't the last one. At least the following books in the T-FLAC series are already on my shelf so I'm going to read them very soon because I can't wait to find out how the stories of Marnie's brothers will be.

Two thumbs up for Cherry Adair and T-FLAC!

Quote:
She wanted to live, not just exist

School for Scandal – Susan Johnson
James Bell, Viscount Ormond, is a shameless rake, infamous for his skills in seduction--and Claire Russell doesn't intend for her sister to become his latest conquest. That is why she's come to the viscount's private masked ball. The flagrant sensuality and unabashed decadence on display there are shocking, but they are nothing compared to the scandalous fire Claire feels when James makes a wholly improper suggestion...improper, indecent, and very, very tempting...

Clair Russell wants to prevent her younger sister becoming James Bell’s latest prey and James promises to leave Harriet alone and even introduce her into the “ton” to find an suitable husband, but he wants Claire’s friendship in return. Friendship becomes lust and lust eventually lust turns into love.
This was not an emotion stirring story but very entertaining. James is utterly confused by his feelings for Clair but other than that there is very little depth to the story or the characters. The erotic scenes come across a bit rushed.







Mischief and the Marquess – Sylvia Day
Justin, the Marquess of Fontaine, and Lady Sophie Milton-Riley have no desire to marry. To satisfy their mothers’ insistence that they would be quite right together, they set out to demonstrate how completely ill-suited they are for one another. Justin is allergic to her perfume. Sophie dislikes his dogs. He prefers blondes; she, brunette men. But the more they seek to prove how wrong their union would be, the more right things feel. And when opposites attract, there’s no denying the sparks or the heat…

As a young man Justin was in love with Sophie but he was afraid of rejection and kept his feelings to himself. Another man did propose to her and they had a child before they could get married, creating a big scandal for Sophie and making her an outcast after her fiancé’s death. Justin’s mother and Sophie’s grandmother try to get them back together again and this succeeds. After a night of passion Justin proposes to Sophie but she refuses afraid to rub her scandal of on him. Justin doesn’t take no for an answer and makes a plan to make her acceptable to society again and thus leaving her no room for refusing to marry him
A beautiful story of a childhood love and affection lost because of uncertainty and misunderstanding. Rekindled by a matchmaking mother and grandmother.
The erotic scenes were steaming hot and beautifully written. This is the first anthology-story (especially an erotic anthology-story) I ever really liked. Well-written characters with depth to them and a beautiful well rounded love-story. Within the small amount of pages Sylvia Day still manages to create a history and background for the characters, so it’s very easy to relate to them and their dilemma’s and at the same time the pages sizzle with the sensual attraction between them.
This is the first work by Sylvia Day I have read and I’m positive I want to read more by her hand!

Quote:
How the devil could she have thought he was a prince?
Princes were mortal. Fountaine was a golden god, with a body built for carnal sin, wrapped in the chilly infamous English hauteur she had never forgotten.







The Ruby Kiss – Noelle Mack
Susannah Fowler is in possession of many temptations–an independent nature, a quick wit, and lush curves. She is also in possession of a fortune in stolen jewels hidden within her favorite corset. If rakehell Carlyle Jameson wants it, he will have to remove it himself. From her boudoir…or from her body. One kiss ought to distract her, but one kiss leads to another and another, till there’s no turning back…and no desire to try…

Susannah Fowler leaves India where she grew up, after her father’s death, with Carlyle. He’s appointed her guardian and promises her father he’ll see to it she’s introduced in London Society to find a proper husband. What follows is a blurry story about stolen rubies, sapphires and diamonds sown in a corset. The story never really caught my attention or emotions. Cold and aloof. No depth to the characters with a lot of emphasis on the stolen jewels and practically none on the relationship between Susannah and Carlyle. Even the erotic scenes didn’t tip the scale to the positive side. Actually I found them boring and they didn’t do much for me.








In short: The first and last story were real anthology stories with no depth or emotion stirring to be found. The second story makes it worth while to by this book and for that one I’m glad I did.

Can a Highlander steal his enemy's bride and make her love him?

Can he extract revenge?
High in the Pyrenees, a band of mercenaries led by Courtland MacCarrick wages war for General Reynaldo Pascal. When Court turns on the brutal general, Pascal orders him killed. Court narrowly escapes and exacts revenge by kidnapping Pascal’s exquisite Castilian fiancée.

Can she deny her passions?
Noble heiress Annalía Tristán Llorente despises her towering, barbaric captor almost as much as she does Pascal. Her inexplicable attraction to the Highlander only fuels her fury. Yet nothing will stop her from returning to Pascal—for if she doesn’t wed him, she signs her brother’s death warrant, as well as her own.

Can there be love between them?
From the moment Court discovers that Anna’s prim façade masks a fiery, brave lass, his heart’s ensnared and he dares to defy the curse that has shadowed his life—to walk with death or walk alone. But Pascal vows that he’ll hunt the two, never stopping until he’s destroyed them both. If they survive, can this hardened soldier of fortune convince the only woman he's ever loved that she's meant to be his?

The answer to all of the above questions is a full-hearted YES.
The first in the MacCarrick Trilogy rocked my world...hard!

Court(land) MacCarrick is the youngest brother, a true Higlander: strong, brutal and savage. A mercenary employed by general Reynaldo Pascal, a horrible general who is leading a rebellion to take over Andorra and then Spain in his quest for ultimate power
Annalía Llorente is an amazing heroin: feisty, courageous, smart, defiant and a fighter despite her fragile and delicate appearance. Pascal intends to wed Annalía, who is a descendant of the Spanish Crown in order to achieve his goal.
Court rebels against Pascal which eventually leads to him being beating, knived and thrown in a river to die. He survives and is found by Annalía and there’s were the story truly begins!

They start of really not liking each other for obivious reasons. Annalía thinks Court a brute animal, with no manners and loathes him for being a mercenary. Court thinks Annalía an arrogant stuck-up with her defiant behaviour.
But they are thoroughly fascinated by each other at the same time. They clash from the start but underneath you feel the strong attraction that smolders between them. A passion and attraction that is too strong to be denied by either of them. And when they finally act on it, sparks fly of the pages in some erotic scenes that leave you all hot and bothered.

I adored this book. An intense and passionate page-turner. Fast-paced, easy to read. A book that takes you from the Andorran mountains, via Toulouse to London and back to the Andorran mountains and along the way you’re submerged in a wonderful love-story enjoying every page and every word.
A perfect combination of history, romance and an exciting and original plot. Masterfully written, making you wish you were there, being saved by a mercenary Highlander who is just as much Alpha as he is honorable.

I’m yearning to read the stories of Hugh and Ethan, Court’s two older brothers and I can predict it won’t be long because this book left me wanting another taste of the MacCarricks and the women who will break their curse.

If you love Highlanders and you don’t have this book...Shame on you and go get it!

Quote:
“Because you’re the type of woman who needs to be kissed. Hourly, softly. Fiercely.” He skimmed his hands down over her hip and murmured near her ear, “Thoroughly."

THE MAN IS PRACTICAL
As marriage proposals go, Charles Draysmith's suit is as romantic as the moors in December. Emma Peterson might be only a vicar's daughter, and he the new Marquis of Knightsdale, and perhaps he would rather marry her than endure the marriage mart. But when he suggests how much he'll enjoy securing an heir, well, a lady can only endure so much.

BUT THE LADY IS PASSIONATE
There's something about a woman throwing pottery at a man that piques his interest. Perhaps his proposal lacks grace, Charles thinks. But it does seem a perfect solution. He acquires a wife; his young charges have the mother they so desperately need, and Emma gains security and position. You see? Simple. Practical. Sensib—oh no, not the ceramic dog… He will have to confess the truth to calm her down. And the truth is, he's madly in love…

Charles’ brother, the Marquis of Knightsdale has died unexpectedly which leaves Charles to assume the position of the Marquis, Lord Knightsdale and the responsibility for his brother’s two daughters Isabelle and Claire. It’s something he is dreading to do since he was not brought up for this task, being the second son and all. And above all this he also has to find a wife to secure an heir to his title.
In comes Emma, the temporary governess of the girls and his old childhood friend. But she’s not a child anymore and Charles falls head over heels for her. Only his proposal isn’t all that romantic so Emma, who’s been in love with him since she was six years old, tells him no in a very eloquent way.

And then the fun starts with a lovely story that involves a houseparty, matchmaking by the two little girls, a jewel thief bound on revenge on the Draysmiths and a lot of hot passion involving some nakedness between Charles and Emma. There are also guest appearances by James, Sarah and Robbie which is logical since James, Robbie and Charles are best friends since their childhood, when Emma used to follow them around.

It was a nice and easy read, fast-paced like the Naked Duke and therefore I finished it in a matter of a day.
Emma and Charles were very compatible and well-written main characters. The secondary characters were just as well-written and added a lot of laughter and fun to the book, especially Aunt Bea, Charles aunt with her hideous gowns and her taste for brandy…But the girls, Isabelle and Claire were also adorable and endearing.

The second book turned out to be as lovely as the first.
It didn’t start with the nakedness right away as in The Naked Duke (book 1) but along the book this was certainly taken care of….and sparks flew between Charles and Emma.

Now I’m looking forward to Robbie and Lizzie’s (James’ little sister) story in the next book in the series. If I go by the excerpt in this book it’s going to be good too…

“Your escort will be a perfect gentleman.”
That was her sister’s promise when Callie Spencer agreed to let one of the men from Mr. Complete squire her around town during her Atlanta business trip.
But one look at that square jaw, those blue, blue eyes and that ripped torso made Callie wish her stud-for-hire would break all the rules. And at first it seemed the all-too-appropriately named Dillon Love would oblige. His burning gaze said he took a very personal interest in their relationship.
But his on-again, off-again seduction made gun-shy Callie want to shoot herself in the foot. Her heart already broken once, by her ex-husband the underwear model, no less. Could she trust another breathtakingly handsome man, even when he promised to be completely hers?

We get reacquainted with the escortservice and employees of Mr. Complete. Luke and Lydia have gone on their honeymoon and Dillon Love (twin brother of Wyatt Love who is an escort at Mr Complete and friend of Luke’s) takes over for three weeks. In doing this he discovers a reviewer from a travel magazine that trashed his nightclub a year ago in a terrible review is coming to Atlanta and Mr Complete is providing an escort for her. Taking matters into his own hands he decides to be the escort himself.
Callie Spencer is sent to Atlanta by her sister Fontaine (love that name by the way!) who owns the travel magazine as a decoy because somebody is informing the hotels and restaurants beforehand that they are going to be reviewed. Callie has been wallowing in her broken heart for three years, caused by her cheating underwear model ex-husband and so she’s weary of “pretty boys” but she hadn’t counted on the sizzling attraction between her and Dillon.
For Dillon the dilemma is falling in love with a woman he’s trying to woo to get good reviews for the establishments in Atlanta, especially his own nightclub.
And off course the twins try to pull of the old twin-switch but Sheridon Smythe gives it a nice twist by letting Callie in on it fairly soon in the story so you can sit back and enjoy her show of revenge on the twins, especially Dillon.

I really had a blast reading this book. Sheridon Smythe knows how to blend laugh-out-loud humour, a set of fantastically written characters, sensuality and romance together into a great love-story and pour romantic comedy into a lovely book.
It’s fast paced and extremely entertaining.The dialogues and interactions sparkle of the pages and are filled with fun. I smiled almost throughout the whole book. Especially the bantering between the twins Dillon and Wyatt were hilarious. The employees of Mr Complete are funny and scrumptious and Mary Love is a mom to die for. But the character who stole the show again, like in Mr. Complete was the secretary Mrs Scuttle. She’s just too much and had me laughing until I cried and almost peed my pants.

This is a perfect book if you want to spend a couple of hours of just plain, unadulterated fun and pleasure.
It’s the second book in the Mr. Complete series and can be read stand-alone but if you really want to enjoy it to the fullest I recommend you read Mr Complete first.

Now I have to get my hands on the third book in the trilogy: Completely Irresistible to read Wyatt’s (Dillon’s twin) story and I’m sure it will be just as entertaining and funny as the previous two.

Bored by society’s rules and strictures, Kathryn “Kit” Cranmer yearns for adventure –and she finds it on Britain’s rugged eastern coastt, dressed as a boy at the head of a rag-tag band of smugglers. But there’s another who rules the night: the notorious Captain Jack, the ruthless leader of a rival gang who will allow no trespassers...and who stops Kit’s breath with his handsome, etched features and powerful physique.

In no time, Captain Jack sees through Kit’s brazen disguise –and tempts her with kisses that compel the beautiful adventuress to surrender her cherished independence for nights of imcomparable bliss, But her lover is much more than he seems –a man of secrets and dangerous mystery– and becoming Captain Jack’s woman will carry Kit into a world of sensuous pleasures and unparalleled perils...and to new heights of excitement beyond anything she’s ever dreamed.

It has been a while since I read a Laurens and reading Captain Jack’s Woman I remembered again why I like her so much.
I enjoyed every page, every character, every turn of events and Laurens is incomparable in her beautifully written erotic scenes. Although I must say in this book they weren’t as abundantly present as in several of the Bar Cynsters I read. But that certainly didn’t spoil any of my fun.

I loved the story of Jack and Kit.
They’re both such strong personalities and so fit for each other. A gaze or the slightest touch enough to light their fire.

Kit is amazing. She’s the epitomy of the wild tomboy underneath the neatly polished veneer of a worldly woman of the London society. For her own reasons she doesn’t believe in love and enjoys her freedom to do as she pleases when she pleases.
In a way Jack is not much different, a man full of secrets beneath the disguise of an aloof and distant nobleman. A bit overbearing but in a delicious alpha-manner you can’t but fall for.

Kit is quite a handful, always planning and plotting her own wild way. Everytime Jack thinks he’s got her figured out, she manages to surprise the daylights out of him. But he knows exactly how to handle her: with passion and love!

The smuggling plot was not quite my cup of tea but offered the excitement that balanced excellently with the love-story.
I’m looking forward to reading the novels of the Bastion Club, knowing this one was just the prequel and I liked it a lot, it can only be better.

Quote:
Heavens –it was worse than she’d thought! He was perfectly gorgeous –mind-numbingly, toe-curlingly gorgeous–

She was unmarried, untouched and almost thirty, but novelist Amanda Briars wasn't about to greet her next birthday without making love to a man. When he appeared at her door, she believed he was her gift to herself, hired for one night of passion. Unforgettably handsome, irresistibly virile, he tempted her in ways she never thought possible...but something stopped him from completely fulfilling her dream.

Jack Devlin's determination to possess Amanda became greater when she discovered his true identity. But gently-bred Amanda craved respectability more than she admitted, while Jack, the cast-off son of a nobleman and London's most notorious businessman, refused to live by society's rules. Yet when fate conspired for them to marry, their worlds collided with a passionate force neither had expected...but both soon craved.

Actually this was the first English historical romance I ever read and it was a while ago so many things had slipped my mind and were as new to me as the first time I read this book.
I had forgotten how sensual and determined Jack Devlin is and how strong and independant Amanda Briars is. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed reading this book.

Amanda is a heroin many modern women in their thirties can relate to. A spinster who decides she’s been a virgin for long enough, not a perfect size 10 and criticized for her well-developped mind. She’s an independant, self-sufficient novelist who doesn’t want a husband in fear of losing her freedom and individuality. But she’s also lonely an yearning for an equal-minded companion. She would have never thought she’d find him in Jack.

Jack is one of my favourite heroes. A young succesfull businessman and the illegimate half Irish son of a nobleman, he’s struggled the greater part of his life to be where he is now. Dominant and passionate and of course let’s not forget the black hair and blue eyes! The way he goes for what he wants warms me all over. His feelings for Amanda scare him to death but it’s inevitable that she is his soulmate.

They’re both subconsiously looking for that one person to satisfy not only their physical but also, more importantly, their emotional needs and they find that in each other in a beautiful story.
Jack knows exactly how to tear down the walls of self-protection that surrond Amanda’s heart in such a touching, appreciative and endearing way. In her strong and independant way Amanda doesn’t want to marry Jack when circumstances force them into marriage, afraid of losing her freedom and independance. But she finds out being married to Jack brings her more freedom and independance than she she’d ever imagined having when she was alone and single.

There were few memorable secondary characters but the story didn’t need them. It was Jack and Amanda’s story being told and only they can take the spotlight for carrying it in a formidable way. Other strong characters would have interfered with that.

I truly rediscovered an amazing treasure on my bookshelf.
Containing everything I look for in my romance novels:
Strong, well-written characters with imense depth to them.
Scorching passion and sensuality.
A story with the ability to mess me up emotionally in the best possible way. Taking me from laughter tot tears, from grief to pleasure and from compassion to anger. And these things combined has earned this book the highest grade I rarely give the books I read.

Quotes:
He moved to her other breast, making her whimper in frustration at his slowness, his endless leisure, as if time did not exist and he were going to spend forever feasting on her body.

Rating: 10 out of 10

RIDDING THE WORLD OF EVIL, ONE ALIEN AT A TIME.

In a time and place not too far away, Mia Snow is an alien huntress for the New Chicago Police Department, and she's the perfect girl for the job. Tough and sexy, she's earned each of her scars battling the elusive enemy among us. Now, investigating a series of killings, she is shaken to the core when a burst of violence leaves her partner Dallas fighting for his life. A tall, erotic stranger holds the power to heal the injured agent — and to bind Mia in an electrifying and dangerous seduction. He is Kyrin en Arr, of the deadly Arcadian species — an alien, a murder suspect — who has Mia walking a knife's edge, risking her badge and even her life. . . and edging closer to a shocking revelation that will shatter everything she's ever believed.

Another different series from Showalter. I was unsure what to expect from it, reading the blurb I thought it had the potential of being good.
And it was! It has a very different tone and setting compared to her other series. More violent, more action, lots of fighting scenes but still filled with bantering and sarcastic wit. Reading it was like watching a sci-fi action movie.
It’s very futuristic with various species of aliens, alien hunters, an alien serial killer and a great plot. The plot unrevels bit by bit in a very fast-paced story that turned out to be a real page-turner for me! I enjoyed every page of it and reading the end, left me wanting more.
This wish will be granted because although Mia got her HEA, there are still some loose ends that need to be tied up and they will be in future books in the series.

Heroin is Mia Snow, an alien huntress who seriously kicks ass! Be it alien or human, man or woman! Hero is Kyrin en Arr, an Acadian who is a main suspect in the investigation into an alien serial killer.
Mia is the embodiement of the fantasy of female power and Kyrin is her perfect match although of course at first she fights him (and her attraction to him) with everything she’s got.

The secondary characters are were amazing. Even the evil serial killer! But Showalter has a nack for creating sympathy for all her characters, even the bad guys...
But I also loved Mia’s fellow agents: Ghost, Kittie, Jaxon and Dallas.

You see everything through Mia’s eyes because it’s written in the first person perspective. This gives the book a more intense feel than if it were written in the third person and Gena Showalter has done a great job in winning me over for this writing style.
This book was another great read and I’ll be reading the next one, Enslave Me Sweetly, very soon.



Quote
A conversation between Mia and Dallas about dating:
“Did I tell you I have a date tomorrow?”he asked conversationally, changing the subject just to annoy me.
“With who?”
“Jane Marlow”
“Christ. The porn star?”
“She prefers the term professional sex advocate.”
“At least with this one you’ll know there’s more than ice in her panties.”
“ I resent that. Especially from you, a woman who hasn’t gone on a date since the Great Heat Wave.”

Dear Friend,

You were right: desperation is a dangerous state of mind. It was desperation that drove me to London to salvage my family's reputation and finances in the first place. And it is desperation -- and perhaps a little desire -- that has gotten me into the situation I find myself in now.

You see, I've become ensnared in the investigation of a traitor by Lord Dewhurst -- the most insufferable, sinfully handsome man I've ever met. I know it is shocking, but in order to catch this spy and clear my name, I've no choice but to play the agent's bride. Now I'm desperate again to avoid his seductive words and searing looks. I pray that I can resist him, but I can make no promises. Oh, my dear friend, I know he and I are merely pretending to be wed, but the blush he can send all the way to my petticoats feels far too real!

Yours truly,
Charlotte

After reading about Freddie in “When Dashing met Danger” I was really wondering what twist Shana Galen was going to give his story. I sensed there was more to him than met the eye and turns out there certainly was.

Posing as a dandy with a funny sense for fashion with nothing on his mind but what to wear the next day, Freddie actually is not such a dandy but a cunning spy. And in this role he meets Charlotte, a smart and strong-willed American girl with a deep repulsion for everything English but also with the one thing Freddie has a weakness for: red hair.
They are forced into a scam marriage by circumstances and have to make the best of it.
Their interactions are sparkling and witty. They both give as good as they get and in the meanwhile grow to appreciate each other.

I really had a lot of fun reading this book. It was hilariously witty and I had several laugh-out-loud moments. The scene where Freddie and Charlotte have dinner together for the first time was incredibly funny. I kept seeing Charlotte poking at her food…But underneath all the fun I also enjoyed the growing love and feelings between Freddie and Charlotte and how they both tried to fight it but ultimately caved in.
I also liked that we got a glimpse of Alex and Lucia. They made nice secondary characters together with Freddie’s mother and Charlotte’s servant Addy.

If I compare these two connected books I must say I liked “When Dashing met Danger” better. I cannot pinpoint as to exactly why but that book had me going through more emotions than this one. But nevertheless I really enjoyed reading “Pride and Petticoats” because I love books that make me laugh.
Now I’ll be moving on to the Misadventures in Matrimony-series and I’m looking forward to it.

Determined to end a long-running feud, a fiery young Scottish woman convinces the women of her clan to refuse their men everything until they lay down their arms, but she finds her own plans undermined by her growing attraction to a dashing Highlander.

BORN TO BE HIS BRIDE?
It is said that Braden MacAllister, English baron and proud Highland Warrior, can fell an enemy with a single blow – and a woman with a single kiss. But not Maggie, it seems. For the fire-haired beauty, determined to end the longrunning fued that rages between their clan and its common foe, is immune to Braden’s attempts to stop her foolishness. But stop her he will, once he gets the meddling minx alone...and favors her with a passionate caress and an irresistible kiss.
No matter how she trembles beneath Braden’s sensuous touch...he has given his heart to none. But dare she dream that by assuring peace for her clan she may also be claiming the most magnificent Highlander for herself?

I just fell under the spell of the MacAllister-men and I’m still mesmerized!
Braden, Ewan, Lochlan and Sin are all some fine specimen of the male kind...

Maggie was an awesome heroin: feisty, bold, afraid of nothing and so in love with Braden since she was a little girl. Her memories of how she fell in love with him as a 7 year-old were just so touching and endearing.
And that child’s crush grew into a more mature, and for a long time, unrequited, love.

And Braden...the womanizer, with women throwing themselves at him. He has a hard time resisting the lovely woman Maggie has grown to be. Falling not only for her looks but also her strong and willful personality.
Because where all the other women never touched his heart, Maggie does. And selflessly, without asking antything in return but his love.
She makes him see how empty and shallow he has lead his life.
This story of love finds place amidst a journey to stop a fued...

The first pages of this book plastered a smile on my face and it stayed there until the very last word.
The bantering and quipping between the MacAllister brothers is filled with humour and wit, MacGregor’s trademark.
It was fast-paced and extremely witty, I laughed a lot, but also got teary-eyed at some point.
There was one tiny little thing that bothered me and that was the thing with Connor. They were to quickly with their assumptions and I wouldn’t have minded if that part of the story had been skipped. For me it didn’t add anything functional to the rest of the story...
But this doesn’t taint my overall liking of the book at all.

Quotes:
Braden rose slowly from the bed. “Perhaps I should be going.”
“Perhaps you should be dying,”Rufus said as he pushed past his wife.

She had corrupted him in a way no woman ever had. She had made him noble. Caring. Kind

They come in the night , without warning. With one thing on their minds – mortal flesh. Sexy, sensual, and hungry for pleasure, they are the men who bring out the animal in every woman. Let them!

Camille’s Dawn – Kate Douglas
A restless, sensual spirit, held captive by one who binds her with both love and hate, Camille yearns for freedom beyond the earthly plane. Her only hope lies in the supernatural powers of an extraordinary shapshifter, the unquenchable desire of her one true love and a magical night of impossible passion...

With this story I caught a glimpse of the Chanku World, a world of shape-shifting wolves, created by Kate Douglas.
It is part of a series, Wolf Tales, but even without reading the previous books you get a good view of this fascinating world.
If you don’t mind the graphic and numerous erotic scenes, including a threesome, in the merely 74 pages you encounter a enthralling story of undying love between alpha-males and their mates. It’s a beautiful story about Camille, a spirit trapped on the earthly plane, unable to move on to the peace of the spiritual realm. In order for her to move on a Chanku wizard perform a ritual involving Camille’s husband Ulrich, her daughter Tia and Luc(ien), the Chanku who killed her in the line of duty.
Camille is kept on the earthly plane by her daughter’s grief and feelings of abandonment, her husband’s anger and resentment and Luc’s feelings of guilt over killing her.
A story of love, redemption, forgiving, grief and sensuality.
As known with antologies, it’s too short for depth but it came very close and I expect the full-length books to have lots more potential with both the characters and the storylines.







Midnight Man – Sharon Page
He’s a six-foot four inches of maile perfection. Glorious, gorgeous, and blessed with a body and sensuous lips promising wave after wave of ecstasy, Michael Rourke is a Varkyre – the most damned species of vampire. When he wants a woman, she is his. And the woman he wants is Erin Kennedy, a mortal who does not yet know the real meaning of pleasure...

This story holds a promise, a promise of more to come. Sharon Page has a style of writing that pulls you in and fascinates, despite – or maybe because – of the very explicit erotic scenes. If you’re in the mood for some hot and very explicit stuff, Page will deliver. This is the story of a vampire with superhuman strength and his feisty human soul mate who is his only way to regain his soul and live as a mortal. She can free his soul with her unconditional love but she’s is also the one who can condemn him to a torturous and horrible death.
It’s really too bad this was an anthology because some parts were just plain incredible but that was because the story was too short to get into the explaining of things. For example you don’t get the whole story on how the two of them meet and start their relationship. With depth and more characterisation it would have made an nice full-length with many possibilities.
It contains lots of s.e.x but along the story it is not the s.e.x but the developement of their relationship, his salvation and her trust that become the focus of it.







Night Pleasures – Kathleen Dante
Alana MacArdy possesses a magical and rare power – and a sizzling s.e.xuality. She comes to Pleasure Quarter to escape from an evil necromancer, but what she finds is Colin Sheridan, a former soldier with fire magic. Together they’ll succumb to immortal desire...and reach heights they never would have imagined...

A story with possibilities but for me Kathleen Dante didn’t quite manage to keep me into the story. It wasn’t until the end that I started to like it and the erotic scenes were bothersome interruptions in stead of being additions to it. The story never reaches it’s intended potential because there are to many things that bothered me. For example in the middle of a fighting scene with “zombies” the heroin starts to masturbate to give the hero strength to fight. This was a bit too much for me. Too incredible and farfetched. The characters were just flat, you don’t really get to know what drives them, they just have a lot of s.e.x. on moments where I think: stop fooling around and go kick some ass!
Of the three stories it was the one that lacked the most depth and it could not hold my attention.
This was too bad because the plot itself was quite original and could have been worked out so much better.







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My overall judgement is that where “normal” anthologies aren’t a big hit in my book due to lack of depth, this erotic anthology (and maybe others too) is even worse because there you also have the numerous erotic scenes that, when not a functional addition to the story, are just really annoying and a waist of pages. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind erotic scenes and I like my books to be steamy but when you only have between 74 and 120 pages for a story, it leaves very little room for an intriguing story that touches your emotions. In my opinion the author that did this best in this anthology was Sharon Page. Her story stirred my emotions and that’s what I need from a book or a story.