Archive for the Category &raquo;Historical Romance &laquo;

Review: TIS THE SEASON TO BE SINFUL by Adrienne Basso

Category: 2/5, Historical Romance, review copy One Comment

Nov

104089116 From the back of the book:

The Season For Surprises. . .

Juliet Wentworth knew what she was getting into: a marriage of convenience that will save her estate and protect her family long into the future. But she wasn’t expecting to find the passion of a lifetime in her new husband’s arms. After just one night, Juliet knows a marriage in name only will never be enough. . .

The Season For Seduction. . .

Richard Harper’s beautiful new bride has him reeling with desire–and running for cover. After all, falling in love was never part of the bargain. Yet when Christmastime celebrations bring him back to their country manor and back into Juliet’s arms, Richard finds his wife is determined–and all too able–to win over his heart, one kiss at a time. . .

Even though I loved both of the main characters in this story the book was lacking something. Richard is a complex man with a past that he hasn’t overcome. Juliet is trying to move on after the death of her beloved husband and wants another chance at happily ever after. There isn’t much to the story except for the romance and without subplots or something more the story falls a little flat. I think the romance between Juliet and Richard could have been told better in the form of a novella. There just wasn’t enough to keep my interest for the whole book.

the book girl gives TIS THE SEASON TO BE SINFUL a 2/5

to find the book:

Review: ONCE UPON A WINTER’S EVE by Tessa Dare

Category: 2/5, Historical Romance, Holiday Romance, puchased book One Comment

Nov

141573901 About the book:

Some wallflowers bloom at night…

A Spindle Cove Novella

Violet Winterbottom is a quiet girl. She speaks six languages, but seldom raises her voice. She endured bitter heartbreak in perfect silence. The gentlemen aren’t beating down her door.

Until the night of the Spindle Cove Christmas ball, when a mysterious stranger crashes into the ballroom and collapses at Violet’s feet. His coarse attire and near-criminal good looks would put any sensible young lady on her guard. He’s wet, chilled, bleeding, and speaking in an unfamiliar tongue.

Only Violet understands him. And she knows he’s not what he seems.

She has one night to draw forth the secrets of this dangerously handsome rogue. Is he a smuggler? A fugitive? An enemy spy? She needs answers by sunrise, but her captive would rather seduce than confess. To learn his secrets, Violet must reveal hers—and open herself to adventure, passion, and the unthinkable… Love.

Warning: The heroine packs a pistol, the hero curses in multiple languages, and together they steam up a cold winter’s night.

I really enjoyed this novella. It is is short, but doesn’t feel as if the story is missing anything. I really liked the mystery surrounding the stranger and Violet’s reaction to him. There is a lot of action and the story moves at a very quick pace. Ms. Dare’s writing is as superb as always. ONCE UPON A WINTER’S EVE is a perfect story for a cold winter night. (Plus it’s only $0.79!)

the book girl gives ONCE UPON A WINTER’S EVE a 5/5

to find the book:

Review: SEASON FOR TEMPTATION by Theresa Romain

Category: 5/5, Historical Romance, Holiday Romance, puchased book 3 Comments

Nov

105101779 About the book:

Two Sisters. . .Julia Herington is overjoyed when her stepsister, Louisa, becomes engaged–to a viscount, no less. Louisa’s only hesitation is living a life under the ton’s critical gaze. But with his wry wit and unconventional ideas, Julia feels James is perfect for Louisa. She can only hope to find a man like him for herself. Exactly like him, in fact. . .

One Choice. . .

As the new Viscount Matheson, James wished to marry quickly and secure his title. Kind, intelligent Louisa seemed a suitable bride. . .until he met her stepsister. Julia is impetuous–and irresistible. Pledged to one sister, yet captivated by another, what is he to do? As Christmas and the whirl of the London season approach, James may be caught in a most scandalous conundrum, one that only true love, a bit of spiritous punch–and a twist of fate–will solve. . .

SEASON FOR TEMPTATION is a delightful read. I loved pretty much everything about this book. The characters are funny and sweet. The story is fun. Julia’s way of saying exactly what’s on her mind when James is around made me smile. I loved the instant attraction they have between them and the way they both do what’s right in regard to James’ betrothal to Julia’s sister. They respect the sister and try not to hurt her. Another thing I loved about SEASON FOR TEMPTATION was the cast of characters. Julia and Louisa’s family keep the story rolling and add many funny moments. The story is very smooth with few ups and downs. There is a misunderstanding at the end of the book, but it isn’t drawn out and overdone like a lot of books. I liked that it was quickly resolved and there wasn’t a lot of angst. I can’t wait to read more from this debut author.

the book girl gives SEASON FOR TEMPTATION a 5/5

to find the book:

Category: 5/5, Historical Romance, puchased book 2 Comments

Nov

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY!

Review: HER CHRISTMAS PLEASURE by Karen Erickson

turning-up-the-heat-tour This week I’m giving away three sets of two very hot books! I want to say a big Thank You to Forever for letting me be a part of this blog tour and providing the books to give away!

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment telling me the name of your favorite “hot” book. US addresses only, please. Make sure to check to see if your name is chosen.

Additional entries can be gained through the following:

Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/thebookgirl and tweet the link to this post with the tag #bookgirlgiveaway
“Like” me on facebook and post what book you are reading this week on the wall: http://www.facebook.com/therealbookgirl
Comment on the other posts this week

Contest runs through 11/13/11 at 5pm cst.

About the books w/a mini review:

120768858-1 THINGS ARE COOLING IN THE KITCHEN…

AND IN THE BEDROOM.

Restaurant owner Phoebe Mayle thought she had it all under control. Sure, her new chef has a bad-boy reputation - and a chiseled body to match - but she’s positive she can whip him into shape.

But from the moment Nick Avalon roars into town in his Hummer, he makes her whole world sizzle. Not only has Nick take over her kitchen, he’s taken oer her mind and her body. His insatiable appetite for pleasure leaves her breathless with carnal cravings only he can satisfy. Can their hunger for each other be a recipe for a love that lasts?

This books worked for me in some ways and didn’t in other ways. I really liked Phoebe and the secondary characters. (I want her niece to have her own story. I need to know if she makes it to Paris!) Nick, on the other hand, I didn’t care for at all. He was too much of a bad boy for me. He is rarely nice to Phoebe and belittles everyone around him. His growth towards the end of the book felt too abrupt and unrealistic to me. Even though I didn’t love Nick, the story did keep me interested (mainly because I was hoping that there was something good about him or that Phoebe would kick him in the balls) and I did enjoy reading DELICIOUSLY SINFUL.

the book girl gives DELICIOUSLY SINFUL a 3/5

100722601 Irresistible temptation….

Outspoken and independent, Lady Alexa Hendrie is happiest in the quiet of the country, where she is free to run her family’s estate as she chooses. But when her brother’s recklessness forces her to London, a chance encounter with the ton’s most wicked rake - and his searing kiss - awaken a longing for adventure.

Undeniable passion…

A man of many secrets, Connor Linsley, the Earl of Killingworth, uses his rakehell reputation to avoid innocent young ladies and their marriage minded mothers. Yet even his most shocking behavior can’t dissuade Lady Alexa. From the moment her lips press against his, their fates are irrevocably sealed. together they enter a shadowy world of intrigue, deception, and desire. consumed by a passion beyond their wildest imaginings, Connor and Alexa must risk all they hold dear for a chance at love. but can they escape the danger that pursues them? Or will their own fiery attraction be their ultimate undoing?

I loved this book. Alexa is a fantastic heroine and balances Connor perfectly. She is headstrong, outspoken and tough. Together this couple can face anything. Connor is gruff and ultimately very vulnerable. The story moves at a quick pace and has just the right amount of intrigue to keep the reader turning the pages. The romance is sizzling. I loved Connor’s friends and can’t wait to read their stories.

the book girl gives TOO WICKED TO WED a 4/5

Category: 3/5, 4/5, Contest, Erotic Romance, Historical Romance, review copy 11 Comments

Nov

139647120 From NetGalley:

Damien Morton is madly in love. Unfortunately, it’s with his best friend’s widow, Lady Danver. Damien is not worthy of Celia. Or so he thinks. Desperate to escape his feelings for her, he plans to leave the country at the first of the year. Celia treats him as a family friend and nothing more-until they share a heated kiss beneath the mistletoe…

Celia is shocked by the passions that surge within her at her dear friend’s kiss. One touch and one taste aren’t enough to satisfy her cravings, and she is startled into action. Damien has stirred something inside her that she never expected to experience again, and she must have more. Full of shameless desire and emotions newly discovered, she decides to pursue Damien and won’t be deterred. Will she be able to convince him to stay-both in her heart and life-forever?

20,000 words

HER CHRISTMAS PLEASURE is a romantic novella. I loved Damien and Celia from the very beginning. The story is very, very short and I would have loved to have more, but it felt like a complete story. I hate when novella’s feel like the beginning or the end of something and not a complete story on their own. Damien and Celia are both very fleshed out characters and the reader is able to tell what is motivating them from the very beginning. I haven’t read this author before, but after finishing the novella I went back and bought some of her back list. I really enjoyed her writing style and voice. If you are looking for a quick, sweet and sexy holiday story you can’t go wrong with HER CHRISTMAS PLEASURE.

the book girl gives HER CHRISTMAS PLEASURE a 4/5

to find the book (it’s release date is 11/28):

Review and Giveaway: LADY SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS WISH by Grace Burrowes

Category: 4/5, Historical Romance, Holiday Romance, ebook, review copy Leave a Comment

Oct

1197912441 From the back of the book:

ALL SHE WANTS IS PEACE AND ANONYMITY…

Lady Sophie Windham has maneuvered a few days to herself at the ducal mansion in London before she must join her family for Christmas in Kent. Suddenly trapped by a London snowstorm, she finds herself with an abandoned baby and only the assistance of a kind, handsome stranger standing between her and complete disaster.

BUT SOPHIE’S HOLIDAY IS ABOUT TO HEAT UP…

With his estate in ruins, Vim Charpentier sees little to feel festive about this Christmas. His growing attraction for Sophie Windham is the only thing that warms his spirits - but when Sophie’s brothers whisk her away, Vim’s most painful holiday memories are reawakened.

It seems Sophie’s been keeping secrets, and now it will take much more than a mistletoe kiss to make her deepest wishes come true…

I’m a huge fan of this series and was so happy when I heard that there was a holiday story in the series. LADY SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS WISH is a sweet and romantic addition to this series. (The book can be read as a stand-alone, but reading the other books in the series adds to the enjoyment.) Sophie and Vim are both great characters who have let things in the past shape them and hurt their chances for a happily ever after. With each other they find something that they were missing and have a feeling of being home. Kit, the baby abandoned by his mother and left in Sophie’s care, adds to the story rather than being a distraction. He is the common thread that Vim and Sophie bond over.

My only complaint with this book is that I think it should have been released after THE VIRTUOSO, Valentine’s story. There are several places where the characters refer to his wife. It isn’t anything that really takes away from the upcoming book. We all know that there will be a happy ever after in THE VIRTUOSO and no spoilers are given as to how his romance goes. I just like to read things in order and this felt a little out of place to me. THE VIRTUOSO comes out in November.

the book girl gives LADY SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS WISH a 4/5

to find the book:

Review and Giveaway: ALWAYS A TEMPTRESS by Eileen Dreyer

GIVEAWAY:

One reader will win their own copy of LADY SOPHIE’S CHRISTMAS WISH.

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment telling me the name of your favorite holiday romance novel or movie. US addresses only, please. Make sure to check to see if your name is chosen.

Additional entries can be gained through the following:

Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/thebookgirl and tweet the link to this post with the tag #bookgirlgiveaway
“Like” me on facebook and post what book you are reading this week on the wall: http://www.facebook.com/therealbookgirl
Comment on the other posts this week

Contest runs through 10/30/11 at 5pm cst.

Category: 4/5, Historical Romance, review copy 10 Comments

Oct

986166791 About the book:

His greatest battle is just beginning . . .Captain Harry Lidge has done his duty. After losing too many good men on the battlefield, he’s ready to put his responsibilities behind him and live a life free of care. But first he has one last mission: find out what the most outrageous woman in London, the same woman who betrayed him nearly a decade earlier, is concealing, before her secrets take down the crown.

Her heart is the only thing she won’t risk . . .

Surrounded by ardent admirers and a few loyal friends, Lady Kate Seaton glides through the ton on a confection of couture gowns and bon mots. No one suspects that beneath her lighthearted façade Kate hides a sorrow so scandalous she’ll do anything to keep it hidden. But only when she trusts Harry with the truth and only when he trusts her with his heart can they stop the villains all too willing to kill Kate to attain their ultimate goal: destroy England.

ALWAYS A TEMPTRESS is the third book in the Drake’s Rakes series by Eileen Dreyer. I have been waiting for Kate’s story since the first book. I wasn’t disappointed. Kate is a complicated character. Her past is an unhappy one and she had finally found her way to a happy existence. Harry is also about to start the carefree part of his life after ten years in the military. These two are thrown together after hating each other for ten years. Someone is trying to kill Kate and even though she is definitely not Harry’s favorite person he will do whatever he has to do to protect her. I loved the sparing between these two. Their verbal fights add to the sexual tension between them. I also loved the tenderness they show each other as they learn about the last ten years of each others life.

My only problem with ALWAYS A TEMPTRESS is a very small one. There is a character places in an insane asylum who is definitely not insane. The reader doesn’t find out what happens to her or how she is going to get out of there. I’m hoping that we find out in the next Drake’s Rake book.

the book girl gives ALWAYS A TEMPTRESS a 4/5

to find the book:

Review: VISCOUNT BRECKENRIDGE TO THE RESCUE by Stephanie Laurens

Giveaway:

Enter to win one of three copies of ALWAYS A TEMPTRESS.

To enter:

Leave a comment. US addresses only, please. Make sure to check to see if your name is chosen.

Additional entries can be gained through the following:

Follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/thebookgirl and tweet the link to this post with the tag #bookgirlgiveaway
“Like” me on facebook and post what book you are reading this week on the wall: http://www.facebook.com/therealbookgirl
Comment on the other posts this week

Contest runs through 10/16/11 at 5pm cst.

Category: 4/5, Historical Romance, review copy 7 Comments

Sep

109516620 From the back of the book:

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Miss Heather Cynster…but not before she encounters kidnappers, danger, and a daring rescue at the hands of Viscount Breckenridge

Determined to hunt down her very own hero, one who will sweep her off her feet and into wedded bliss, and despairing of finding him in London’s staid ballrooms, Heather Cynster steps out of her safe world and boldly attends a racy soiree.

But her promising hunt is ruined by the supremely interfering Viscount Breckenridge, who whisks her out of scandal - and straight into danger, when a mysterious enemy seizes her, bundles her into a coach, and conveys her out of London.

Now it’s up to the notorious Breckenridge to prove himself the hero she’s been searching for all along…

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! First, the cover is absolutely beautiful. Second, Breckenridge and Heather are fantastic. From the very beginning, when they both believe that they dislike each other, the chemistry between them is off the charts. Heather is such a fun character and no fainting miss. When she is kidnapped, she doesn’t freak out or faint, she tries to find out who wants her and why. Of course, it helps that Breckenridge is with her the whole time keeping his eye on her from a distance. The plot moves at a great pace. There are several funny moments that keep the action light and fun. The “courtship” part of the book is just as great as the kidnapping and “rescue”. Two stubborn people butting heads when all they really want is to be with the other forever. Fantastic!!

I can’t wait to read the next book - IN PURSUIT OF ELIZA CYNSTER - when it comes out next week!!

the book girl gives VISCOUNT BRECKENRIDGE TO THE RESCUE a 5/5

to find the book:

Review: A NIGHT TO SURRENDER by Tessa Dare

Category: 5/5, Historical Romance, puchased book 4 Comments

Sep

113765346 From the back of the book:

Welcome to Spindle Cove, where the ladies with delicate constitutions come for the sea air, and men in their prime are…nowhere to be found.

Or are they?

Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the painfully shy, young wives disenchanted with matrimony, and young girls too enchanted with the wrong men; it is a haven for those who live there.

Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn’t belong here. So far as he can tell, there’s nothing in this place but spinsters…and sheep. But he has no choice, he has orders to gather a militia. It’s a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch - a woman who is determined to save her personal utopia from the invasion of Bram’s makeshift army.

Susanna has no use for aggravation men; Bram has sworn off interfering women. The scene is set for an epic battle…but who can be named the winner when both have so much to lose?

A NIGHT TO SURRENDER is the first in a series by Tessa Dare. I’ve really enjoyed her previous books and enjoyed A NIGHT TO SURRENDER too. There is a lot of humor in the story - from the sheep (I loved the little one named Dinner!) to all of the antics of the women and men in Spindle Cove. There is also a lot of emotion. The purpose of Spindle Cove is to help the women who are shy or unhappy lead a fulfilling life. Susanna was perfectly content in her life until Bram showed up. I loved how her world is turned upside down and she had to find out how to lead this new life. Bram never wanted to be an Earl or to be anywhere except on the battle field. His life has also been turned upside down. Bram and Susanna both have baggage and they need each other in order to overcome and learn from the past. The dialogue is snappy and the plot moves through at a great pace. I loved every minute from start to finish and can’t wait to be in Spindle Cove again.

the book girl gives A NIGHT TO SURRENDER a 5/5

to find a copy: