Beauvallet is one of my top favorite Georgette Heyer romances. It’s one I would recommend for a guy to read because of how daredevil the hero is and how much action and high jinks take place.
Sir Nicholas Beauvallet is a dashing pirate with a rakish charm. He’s the bane of the Spanish empire and good friends with other famous privateers such as Sir Francis Drake. He’s gallant, courageous to the point of foolhardiness, and full of confidence. His ego is adorable because it’s so over-inflated and lighthearted.
Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva is a gutsy heroine. When captured she steals Beauvallet’s dagger and waves it at his nose. When forced aboard Beauvallet’s ship she snubs him, flirts outrageously with another officer, and ignores him. Obviously she’s just hiding her true feelings—the instantaneous crush, the deepening attraction, the utter fascination. The more she pushes him the more under his spell she falls.
When he promises to win her hand in marriage, she scoffs. Not likely! When he says he’ll pursue her right to her doorstep in the heart of Spain, she laughs. Impossible! When he says, “Risk not!” she begins to hope. But can it be done?
Some of the funniest scenes are Beauvallet flaunting his presence under the Spanish aristocracy and nobody being the wiser. I’m so happy that Heyer kept it in mostly Beauvallet’s point of view because we got to his side of the story and laugh at the supposedly mystical and magical escapes he managed to execute under Spanish noses.
It’s also an unusual historical I feel because of the monarchs and events happening.
Relative Time Period – Tudor:
Spanish Inquisition – 1478 to 1834
Henri III – 1551 to 1589
Elizabeth I – 1533 to 1603
Phillip II - 1527 to 1598
Sir Francis Drake – 1577 to 1580 – around world trip
The references to the Spanish Inquisition are just cloying and realistic enough to make you shudder with all the “infinite kindness of the church” and whatnot. I’m not an expert of anything, but the way the dialogue happened almost made one think that King Phillip had no idea what truly happened during the churches inquisition sessions. Does anybody know if he did or not?
I first heard about Crimson Rapture from a HaBo post over at Smart Bitches: Trashy Books. I can’t remember now if this book was the actual book or just one of the suggestions, but I guess it hardly matters. It sounded cool and I got it immediately from Paperback Swap.
It was originally published in 1986 and definitely has forced seduction in it—the kind where he does it for her own good and because he desires her too much to let another moment pass. There’s a lot of it, but it is well written, so if you’re in the mood for it, I would highly suggest this novel. A warning though… the comeuppance of the uppity bitch in the story is gang rape by the pirate crew which the pirate captain (hero) sanctions because she tried to kill someone (no, not the heroine.)
The story is one of those that goes everywhere (Boston, London, open seas, remote island in the Phillipines, Jamaica) and does everything (kidnapping, monsoons, shipwrecks, runaways, fake marriages, babies, plots and betrayal, and so on.)
It starts when the ship the heroine and hero are on is caught in the doldrums. The heroine is headed for Australia to live with her cousin and his family after her father’s recent death. The hero, Justin Phillips, is locked up in the hold somewhere on his way to his execution. He spies her presence one day and strikes up a conversation. He can’t really see her, but he figures she’s extremely plain.
Christina Marks is actually very beautiful. As the daughter of a reverend she is kind, naive, and innocent. Also, she is terribly shy except when she talks to Justin through the small opening. She gives him her rations to help him keep his strength up. When the wind breaks and Justin’s crew comes to his rescue he kidnaps Cristina determined to ensure her safety and wellbeing.
The adventure has only begun though and passion can’t be denied.
The great thing about a series is that the writer has the freedom to explore themes and develop characters in greater detail than in a single average sized novel. This is true of Lora Leigh’s ‘Tempting Seals Series’. Durango Team, of the Navy Seals, is working for Homeland Security trying to shut down a drug cartel and capture a mysterious terrorist. Each novel in the series follows the members of Durango Team as they meet and fall in love with their soul mates. Of course, love never runs smooth. Killer Secrets is the third novel in the series.
Ian Fuentes is the illegitimate son of Diego Fuentes, the leader of a very successful drug cartel. He is also a sadist and murderer. Ian hates him and has vowed to kill him for not protecting him as a child and for kidnapping and torturing a fellow Seal, Nathan. He is working, alone and undercover posing as traitor to the U.S., in his father’s drug cartel. In return his father has agreed to help him trap and kill the terrorist known only as Sorrell.
Kira Porter is an independent undercover operative for DHS known as the Chameleon. Her disguises are so good than no one has ever recognized her as the very wealthy socialite and niece of a very powerful Washington politician. She and Ian have crossed paths on occasion and he always recognizes her by the way her body moves and the shape of her ears. They have long ignored the attraction they feel for one another since the job always comes first.
This time they meet in Aruba at a weapons deal gone wrong. Kira has infiltrated a terrorist group with ties to Sorrell and has accompanied them to what is supposed to be a weapons deal. Unknown to her, the real objective is to kill Ian. In the mist of the action she recognizes Ian and quickly changes sides, helping him turn the tables on the terrorist group. Afterward, instead of disappearing, she rents a villa under her real identity with the intent of joining Ian’s operation. DHS has agreed and asked that she keep Ian from killing his father or Sorrell since both are wanted for the information they can provide. Ian is an admitted chauvinist and does not want a woman in his operation, especially Kira.
The themes of betrayal, trust, fear of intimacy and commitment unfold in a highly erotic, sexual arena. Leigh’s dialog is bold and her bedroom scenes leave nothing to the imagination. Romantic Times BOOKreviews is quoted on the cover as saying, “Leigh’s books can scorch the ink off the page.” This is certainly true. This book is HOT, HOT, HOT!
Four Stars
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Originally posted 2008-09-04 05:35:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood is the second book in the set of three novels, Guardian Angel follows on the heels of The Lion's Lady. I didn't know this when I started and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the book. Usually I dislike sets of romances because one couple or half of a couple ends up irking me due to their actions in a previous book. However, Lyon and Christina are already wedded by this point and I loved them in their story. I did wonder as to their purpose in this novel, but Lyon is clearly Caine's friend and trustworthy ally which Caine will need before the novel is up. Speaking on ends, I thought the ending to Guardian Angel was lacking in some fashion. I can't put my finger on it but the ending left me feeling vaguely like how the ending of The Wedding made me feel... unresolved I guess.
The Marquess of Cainewood is on a mission. Revenge coldly calculated, this ruthless man has set out to avenge his brother's death at the hands of the notorious pirate known only as Pagan. The pirate would meet his maker, and then perhaps Caine's father would get some peace. Sitting in the back of a pub that had become his haunting place since his brother's death, Caine's evening is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of an angel with fiery red hair. She's scared, trembling, but determined.
Her first question is about his identity... is he Pagan?
His charade as the pirate was working, but instead of drawing out the real Pagan, he got a maiden in distress. She asks him to kill her before the men after her catch up and do the job themselves. She wants to die quick and painlessly and hoped the honorable Pagan would help her. Honorable indeed! Caine refuses and shoulders the burdens of the young woman.
Jade he will find leads him on a merry goose chase after criminals who do and don't exist. And all the while she is flitting about trying to keep Caine occupied, a real mystery is brewing... but also passion. Can Jade keep her heart safe or has a man finally pierced her shields to the vulnerable girl inside?
Rating: 4 Stars
Edit: The sex in this novel doesn't follow the usual path in romance novels. When Jade loses her virginity it's not a quick flash of pain and then over with. I enjoyed how Garwood handled everything when it became an issue between Jade and Caine. Jade was also very tender for her second time. It was different than what I am used to in a romance novel and I found that I enjoyed it because of that.
Originally posted 2009-01-06 00:40:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
J.C Roat and Rick Bremseth, both former SEALs who helped with the research for SEALed with a Promise, might tease Daughtridge about writing mush, but it is mush I definitely like. SEALed is very hero-centric. I closed this book with an urge to call up my best friend to get her dad to find me my very own Do-Lord. In the immortal words of LolCat "I can haz SEAL?" or maybe it was cheezburger, I tend to forget. This book is definitely recommended for the Save the Contemporary project Dear Authors and Smart Bitches are hosting together.
Dry-witted Emmie was a blast. She was smart, intelligent, analytical, observant, goal oriented and true to character. A professor of ecology, Emmie is well read and knowledgeable in many areas. She's the definition of an avid scholar. She dresses down to hide herself and makes it an art form to remain unnoticed, which is why it's so disconcerting that Navy SEAL Caleb "Do-Lord" Delaude does. Emmie is here to support her best friend Pickett in her upcoming nuptials - she is not here looking for a brawny jock, especially the brawny jock who's the best man.
Caleb Delaude is extremely smart. He's down played his intelligence to fit in better amongst his peers. Able to retain facts after reading or glancing at print, he also has an uncanny ability to see things others can't. He's great at picturing layouts from a map, knowing where to place people in any situation and sometimes he gets strange moments of déjà vu where the present and near-future collide. Caleb finds himself fiercely attracted to Emmie and before he knows it he's worming his way into her life... but only because he needs her connections for a revenge plot... right? Strange how the operative changes all because of a slip of a thing!
Some Like it Wicked by Teresa Medeiros is truly an exceptional read. She’s done it again creating characters that I love and a story line that makes me laugh and close the book with a happy sigh. The sex was tantalizing, decadent, and sizzling hot. The end has a bit of a cliff hanger as this is the first story of a sibling set.
Catriona Kincaid first met Simon when she was sixteen years old. He was seducing her prickly older cousin in the barn at the time. Of course she was discovered and her cousin throws a tantrum, but Simon intervenes between the two cousins with an easy charm and a devilish smile. His heroic actions placed stars in young Cariona’s eyes and she gave her heart in that moment.
Simon Wescott, bastard son of an earl, became the heir to that earldom when the legitimate son died. However, he wants nothing from his father, the man was too hard to impress and Simon was through being a disappointment. When Catriona storms his cell in debtor’s prison with an outrageous bargain, he calls her bluff with one of his own and is beaten at his own game.
He finds himself out of prison and chained into a marriage to the beguiling and bewitching Highland princess. Now if only he could break the trust she held in him and prove to her that he was nobody’s hero, Simon might be free of the spell she was throwing over him. After all, love doesn’t last and it’s the riskiest bet in the business to make and Simon is no one’s fool.
Also based on the dates mentioned in the book this novel falls under Georgian Romance.
Rating: 5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-08-28 05:58:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Vikings were warrior men from the Scandinavia region of the world including specifically Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Viking is linked to naval expeditions or naval raids. A member of such a trip is called a Viking. Typically it is thought that the Viking period began as early as 700 A.D. and ended somewhere in 1100 A.D. Women warriors were known as Valkyries. At the peak of their influence Vikings reached as far east as the Byzantine Empire and as far west as Iceland and Greenland.
Warring or to ‘Go a Viking:'
Viking expeditions were one of two things. Firstly, Viking could be referring to a mercantile seafarer dealing in commerce and trade. Secondly and most commonly referred to today when brought up, Viking relates to warriors seeking vengeance or urged into the act by need/greed to find slaves and other worldly goods. The term to ‘go a Viking' specifically relates to warring or act of raiding and pillaging.
Ships:
Longships, or dragon ships, are the warring vessel. They had sails and room for oarsmen so they could battle and move without interference from the wind. Longships are shallow and narrow, and this design aids in Viking expeditions by making it easy to land and deploy troops.
A knarr vessel was roomier and could hold far more cargo than a longship. It did not have room for oarsmen. This ship was specifically used in trade and commerce.
Horned Helmets:
Horned helmets were never a part of Viking apparel. Sorry to say, the idea of a horned helmet being Viking is merely a myth. It was dreamt up as part of the romanticism revival to associate them with Classical antiquity. A horned helmet would be too unmanageable in battle because of the ungainly weight of the horns.
Cleanliness:
Steam-houses (saunas), dips into geothermic pools, and regular bathing occurred in Viking culture. It is thought they bathed every Saturday as it is referred to as the washing day still in Scandinavian countries. As part of their ablutions Vikings washed hands and faces every morning. They also had a wide diversity in grooming items including soap. The soap was used to clean their hair as well as strip it of color to make it blond. Vikings are not the unclean barbarians we imagine them to be, perhaps however they were blonder.
Classes:
There were three classes of men in Viking civilization.
The Thrall - an unfree servant whose status was marked by a collar around the neck and short hair
The Jarl - a member of the aristocracy or nobility, was a man of high birth and includes kings
The Bondi- included farmers, craftsmen, landowners, and other freeborn people
Women's Rights:
A girl or woman had no right to choose her husband. However, if she was under her brother's protection and rule she could declare rights to marry the third suitor to seek for her hand.
A free woman in Viking culture owned her children and could divorce without stigmatism associated with other cultures of the time a man who was a bad husband. All she had to do was declare herself so at the door to their home and at their martial bed.
The gravest insult for a woman is a slap to the face done in public. The insult goes beyond her and impugns on the family's honor.
Viking Weddings and Romance:
Vikings would marry on Friday or Frigg Day. Frigg was the name of their goddess for marriage, thus explaining the tradition.
Courtship was frowned upon and poetry expressly forbidden as it was thought that the wording could enthrall a woman. Only the goddess Freyja could be given poetry.
Women were expected to be unsullied or virginal before marriage and after display fidelity within her marriage.
The ring a man gave to a woman was highly important as it was indicative of the respect and esteem he held for her.
Weddings were rarely conducted for lovers. Typically a marriage was arranged between the groom and her family or between both families. Occasionally a marriage was served as a ‘peace-pledge,' which means the marriage is a sign of cease fire between feuding families.
The wedding ritual consisted of exchanging swords between man and wife. The groom gave his sword to his bride as a legacy to be passed down to their first born son. The bride then gave a sword that represented their union and future family to the groom. It was then his duty to take care of the sword as he would take care of her and their children. Vows were then said over the groom's new sword to cement the union.
The Wedding Night and Morning:
The bride wore a bridal crown and it was in their bedroom chamber that this crown was removed by her husband as a symbol of their sexual union. After this symbolic removal the wedding witnesses would leave the couple alone to consummate the vows.
The morning after, once again before witnesses, the groom gave his wife a gift. This gift marked that the marriage was complete. He then would give her the keys to his home and all the buildings he owned. The keys represented her dominion over his holdings and declared her as his lady.
Vikings in Romance Novels:
Nearly always Viking romance novels contain references to the mythology and religion of the time period. They take place in the Scandinavian region, sometimes including the regions within the wide reach of the Vikings. Without fail Viking romance novels include a Viking warrior. He is strong, robust, and very masculine. You could say he is the epitome of alpha males. Standard themes of Viking romance include bride stealing, kidnapping, slavery to freedom archetypes, enemies to lovers, and strong women. Rape also comes up in Viking romances whether or not it actually occurs due to the nature and background of the culture. Viking romances are easily recognizable by their titles which usually include the word Viking.
Viking Love on Youtube:
Originally posted 2008-12-13 22:06:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Hurray a ghost romance! Double hurray there’s pirates! Oh I was so excited to start this novel and it was a thrilling and sexy story.
The first sexual contact? Burns your fingers it’s so hot!
Tyree's ghosty capabilities include walking through doors, levitating off the bed, solidifying into a sexy sinful lord of the night, and invisibility from most of the populace.
Pirate Captain Tyree St. James cursed to a life of wandering the earth for two hundred years or until a woman loves him so much she is willing to die in his place after accidentally killing his best friend and his love Elizabeth. Terrified a woman would be foolish enough to do that Tyree is steers clear of women and romance. Now he’s been tempted… sorely tempted… by Clara Fergussen.
Clara is the great-great (and so on) grandniece of Tyree’s best friend and curser Captain Sullivan Fouquet. Ironic – but this novel is littered with the relatives of several of the parties apart of the two captains’ lives two hundred years ago. She’s there to research Fouquet and dreams a very erotic pirate dream her first night in Rose Cottage only to find out the next day Tyree is real… if delusional.
The heroine’s stubborn refusal to believe Tyree is both a credit and a discredit. It makes Tyree’s story more poignant, her sacrifice more believable, but it also is highly annoying after about halfway through. Luckily Tyree is sexy enough and there are plenty of pulse heightening moments to overlook the heroine’s obstinacy.
The fire crime mystery is anti-climatic. It’s not wrapped up enough for me – especially with the fire captain, Andre Sullivan. How exactly does he fit in other than looking like a dead ringer for the late pirate captain?
Who knew eye-patches were so sinfully delicious? The one week whirlwind romance is exactly right.
In Over Her Head is the ultimate beach read. No, seriously, it is. You have talking fish, Mers (only humans would classify them by gender), sea monsters, underwater cities hidden by the Greek gods, heirs, thrones, adventure, a cache of diamonds... there's so much going on in this book.
In so many ways this book is a retelling of Little Mermaid, though I prefer to think of it as the reverse of The Little Mermaid. The hero is a prince, but he's also a Mer. It's the heroine who is human and is afraid of the water. She is petrified to be in the ocean: sharks, sharks, mysterious voices, sharks, and well sharks. It's a wonder she ever got certified to dive.
Both characters are driven by the urge to prove themselves. Erica has been labeled incompetent, useless, and a nutcase ever since the Incident. She’s been struggling to prove to her brothers, who’ve teased her mercilessly ever since, that she is capable and smart and well normal.
Reel, being the second son, is the Spare… as in the heir and the… all his life he’s been a part of the Mer world without any of its perks. As the second son he doesn’t have fins, he has legs. Sure he can breath underwater, speak to fish, but he’s never had respect. The most important race in his life and he was four minutes behind. He doesn’t have the power or the immortality the rest of them do and has been struggling for acceptance into a society that looks down on him. If only his father would get to know him instead of considering him the ultimate embarrassment.
It’s a fish of a tale, pun so intended--bad as it undoubtedly is. If you’re looking to kick up your fins and read a good kelp-turner… yeah, okay I’m done with the water jokes. Judi is much better at these than I am. Well, no I do have one more. Have you ever heard that joke about the Merman, the Kraken, and the Female Human?
Rating: 3 Stars
Classified interracial because of Mer/Human relationship.
His Wicked Kiss is the seventh installment of Foley's Knight Miscellany series. The novel was quite exceptional from the steamy romance scenes, the tender moments, and the insecurities that flared between Eden and Jack. His Wicked Kiss flirts with the tried and true plot of what you thought you wanted and what you get.
Dr. Victor Farraday, botantist, scientist, and certified loon resides in the jungle of the Amazon with his daughter, a small contingent of locals, and Connor their hunter and protector. Connor has had his eye on Eden Farraday since she was sixteen, but Eden does not feel the same way about him. She dreams of London and the sparkle of society and balls and handsome town dandies that will court her and dance with her. So when Victor tells her that they're moving deeper into the jungles, toward certain death, Eden is desperate to make an escape.
Eden meets Jack as he is sailing down the river with a small crew to meet up with his ship, the Winds of Fortune, off the coast out of the Spaniards reach. Jack thinks the creature sitting up in the trees snipping orchids is beguiling and gorgeous with red flaming hair. Her offer of tea is not resisted, but he is bitterly disappointed to learn that she wants him to take her back to England with him.
Successful entrepreneur and black sheep of the family, Jack Knight is the second son of a duke and is more than used to people wanting things from him. He had hoped Eden would be different, but even if he wanted to, Jack could not take Eden along with him due to the nature of his mission helping the rebels. He would not put her life in danger. That doesn't stop her from putting herself in danger though-Eden sneaks onboard his vessel.
Jack captures his little stowaway and so begins their romance. Being second has shaped Jack and how he approaches business. As his past is revealed Eden and the reader are drawn closer to him. The more trusting Eden is with Jack, the more she slips past his heart's defenses. Soon Eden is all he can think about.
The one flaw with this novel is that Eden and Jack change from the fabulous characters we get to know while on his ship for most of the duration in England. Luckily, they both find themselves and each other again before they've lost each other for good.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-08-20 05:53:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I like men. I couldn't live without the friendship and support of women, but I thoroughly enjoy the company of men. I think that's why I write hero-centered romances.
Men are not the same as women except with the... you know and not...the other. They really are different. In fact, since they have a chromosome women don't, I read an argument once that men and women can be considered different species. Their humanity offers them the same challenges, but their experiences are sometimes poles apart.
I don't like to lump people, even as broad a category as men, with generalizations, since one can always think of an exception. But liking men as I do, and enjoying to challenge of writing a man's point of view, there are a few things I've noticed.
Men, more than women, engage in purposeful behavior. I know, I know-women do too. But men are much more likely to be single-minded in their goals than women, and the clearer the purpose, the better they like it.
It's the reason some men don't know what a woman who kept house and looked after three children "did" all day. It's the reason they want to bang their heads when a woman has been gone for hours and says she was "shopping." Men are perfectly capable of spending hours in a store, but when they do it's because they know they're looking for a pair of deck shoes, a tractor, a rotary saw, a forty-inch bat. Now pay attention: that's what they are looking for even if they already have ten of the above, or don't intend to buy for the next eighteen years!
I understood question of purpose when I overheard two men discussing a movie romance they had been coerced into watching. I had watched the same movie and not liked it much, so I was very curious to hear their opinion. They were talking about the hero who was just plain rude, in a pig-headed macho way, to the heroine the first time they met. All romance fans will recognize a stock "alpha" hero.
The guys were laughing at him. They thought he was an idiot. Because he was rude? No. Because he was pig-headed? No. Because he was macho? No.
Because they assumed his purpose in speaking was to get the heroine to go to bed with him, and he was stupid if he thought that had a prayer of working. In short they assumed his behavior was purpose-motivated rather than emotion-motivated.
And that brings me to my second observation. Men really are thinking about sex all the time. I have a hard time imagining how they get anything done, that being the case, but I know it's true.
Women of course are not thinking about sex all the time-only some of the time. Most of the time, they're thinking in terms of permanence, meaning they are aware that they are, or are not, looking for permanence, and they are evaluating his fitness for the long haul.
One of the things I like best about the romance genre is that the writer has the freedom to switch points of view between hero and heroine. Since my biggest interest is to explore relationships, I often use point of view shifts to reveal the humor of men's and women's different agendas.
Now, I don't write comedy or even light romance. But even in the juiciest, most emotional stories there's room for humor and what could be funnier than watching men and women mix themselves up?
Caleb, my hero of SEALed with a Promise is super-smart and wily. There's a little well-controlled bad boy in any SEAL. In Caleb, there's a lot. He has realized Emmie can help him attain his goal of getting close to a powerful senator. Being seen with her will probably be sufficient, but being a man, hey why not add sex too? I mean, why not? He's not going to hurt her, in fact, he'll make sure it's good for her. And he'll be doing her a favor. Any woman who dresses the way Emmie does can't be getting much.
And of course, when the hero and heroine are together I love to confound their expectations. What he doesn't know is that Emmie, child of missionaries, was made for him.
He's a Bad Boy. She's a Good Girl.
SEALed with a Promise is a hero-centered romance, meaning that the story is pushed by his goals, But she's just as capable of pursuing her own agenda and just as smart. You can find out more about SEALed With a Promise and me at http://marymargretdaughtridge.com
What about you? Do you like a hero-centered romance, or do you prefer one that's told mostly from the heroine's point of view?
Mary Margaret Daughtridge is giving away one copy of SEALed With a Promise to a lucky commentor who responds to her question. You can also enter by asking her a question. Open to US and Canada readers only. Winner will be announced April 8th, 2009.
The Diamond King has got it all: Highlanders, pirates, lost souls, and love.
Alex Leslie used to be a noble in a world that seems to have existed long ago before the war between Scotland and England. Now he is wanted, without honor or hope for a life that had once been held so promisingly before him. Siding with the bonny Prince Charlie cost Alex far more than his pretty face, now scarred, and two strong legs, one now damaged and aching all the time causing him to limp.
Alex has seen horrors of war. The Battle of Culloden turned the tide of war against innocents as the redcoats and turncoats followed mercilessly on the trails of fleeing women, children and wounded – killing and raping indiscriminately. Stripped of his title but not his own sense of moral rightness, Alex came to lead a parcel of helpless Jacobite children out of Scotland to France. There he swore revenge… and two children swore not to be parted from him no matter the cost.
They followed him onto a ship that he was captaining under letters of Marque. Alex was planning to divest the British of their spoils on the sea and he could not do that for fear of the children. All attempts however to divest himself of the brats were pointless. They were far too crafty from their time on the run with him in Scotland to be forced to do anything they didn’t want to do. And truth be told, Alex did not want them to go. He would miss them.
His surrender to their wishes makes it all the harder on him when poor Meg gets wounded in the capture of Charlotte. To make matters worse, there’s a bloody Campbell on board. The Campbell family was the worst of all the turncoats and all the cruel deeds of the war could be laid at their uncaring, guilty feet.
Jeanette Campbell, never knew the horrors of the war. She was safe, sequestered at home where no tales of cruelty could reach her. This does not sway Alex to relent toward her. At least his hate of her is different than the hate she has felt at others hands. Jenna, as she prefers to be called, has been quite unloved by her aristocratic family and society at large. She has been spurned because of a birthmark she cannot help. Born with the Devil’s Mark on one arm from shoulder to wrist, Jenna has known only fear and instant loathing.
Given the choice of being disowned or marrying a man she’s never met, Jenna chooses to find a haven in Barbados. Certain the widow was not told of her birthmark, Jenna is fearful of her future. The thought of mothering his children is the only thing that kept her going. So when the Charlotte is captured, Jenna cannot help feeling helpless and angry that her one chance at happiness has been ripped from her. For what man will take such a bride; even a desperate one?
Rating: 2 Stars
Originally posted 2008-10-10 08:49:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Welcome to RRN Amy! I am so happy to have you with us today! Amy is the first entrant into the current blog giveaway contest here at RRN. She's hoping to win a signed copy of Teresa Medeiros' Some Like it Wicked. Below is her review of Teresa Medeiros' novel Yours Until Dawn.
Hi everyone! I’m Amy and I decided to review Teresa Medeiros’s Yours Until Dawn, for the blog giveaway contest. This Regency set novel follows the troubles of a blind lord and a plain miss as they journey toward love. I really enjoyed this novel and quite loved everything about it from Gabriel’s angry bear behavior to Samantha’s waspish retorts. I would have given the novel five stars except for the ending, which I won’t spoil, but I was unsatisfied even though it was a HEA (happily ever after).
Naval war hero and English Earl, Gabriel Fairchild was blinded in his last battle at sea. A flying piece of shrapnel hit his eyes, forcing this proud man into acute darkness. The doctors say it’s permanent – well all but one who thinks it might be hysterical blindness. However, the very idea of a grown man like Fairchild having hysterics is hard to imagine.
Miss March, Gabriel’s sweetheart, leaves him lying alone in the hospital bed with a gasp of frightened sensibilities. The shrapnel has done more than take his eyesight, it has also taken his looks. Angry and hurt at her flight, Gabriel retreats to the countryside and terrorizes everyone around him for the abandonment of his family and of his love.
The novel starts with the tart Samantha Wickersham applying for the job of being Gabriel’s nurse. She finds the task eagerly handed to her despite her lack of solid references and immediately sets to work ignoring all of Gabriel’s blustering. Reeking of lemon verbena, capable prim Miss Wickersham sets about taming the wounded man hiding behind the lion façade.
Not unexpectedly, she wins his heart, but complications arise and she is forced to flee. Gabriel must find the woman of his dreams before it is too late – but how does one find a woman one has never seen?
4 Stars
To be considered for the autograph copy of Some Like it Wicked, send your review of on one of Teresa Medeiros' romance novels to reviewromancenovel[at]yahoo[dot]com.
from a HaBo post over at 
is the ultimate beach read. No, seriously, it is. You have talking fish, Mers (only humans would classify them by gender), sea monsters, underwater cities hidden by the Greek gods, heirs, thrones, adventure, a cache of diamonds... there's so much going on in this book. 
. The hero is a prince, but he's also a Mer. It's the heroine who is human and is afraid of the water. She is petrified to be in the ocean: sharks, sharks, mysterious voices, sharks, and well sharks. It's a wonder she ever got certified to dive.
Men are not the same as women except with the... you know and not...the other. They really are different. In fact, since they have a chromosome women don't, I read an argument once that men and women can be considered different species. Their humanity offers them the same challenges, but their experiences are sometimes poles apart.
