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It is just Hoyt’s terrible bad luck that I read the The Raven Prince for the very first time just two days before I got this book from the library. I know it’s in bad form to judge a book based on another book, but as both are by the same author, I figure this could be the exception to the rule. To Beguile a Beast read like a poor man’s version of the Raven Prince. There were so many similarities between the too, it was astonishing.
Some of the similarities include: the fairytale story at the beginning of each chapter, the conditions of the poor heroes, and the positions of the women in the hero’s life. They are all the same or at least very, very similar. Proof (spoilery):
TBAB = To Beguile a Beast
TRP = The Raven Prince
Fairytale:
Truth Teller soldier fairytale in TBAB.
The raven prince fairytale in TRP.
Heroes:
Hero is scarred in TBAB: Missing eye, missing fingers, facial scars.
Hero is scarred in TRP: Pox marks all over face and body.
Both heroes are gruesome looking.
Hero in TBAB writes on flora and fauna of New England.
Hero in TRP writes on agriculture.
Heroines:
Heroine works as housekeeper in TBAB.
Heroine works as a secretary in TRP.
Similar Hero Character backgrounds:
Hero in TBAB lost his fiancé to fever.
Hero in TRP first wife died in child birth.
The only big difference that I saw was:
Heroine in TBAB has two children.
Heroine in TRP has no children.
I was bored with To Beguile a Beast. It may be because I read Raven Prince so soon before reading this book. I believe, however, that I would have disliked it even without reading Raven Prince. The magic in the tale simply wasn’t as enthralling as the Raven Prince. I closed Raven Prince feeling satisfied and happy. I struggled to make it through each chapter of To Beguile a Beast. I was glad to finish TBAB, simply so I could move on to another story. If you read it, do you feel the same way?
This book read a little slow for me and the storytelling didn’t capture me particularly. I read through perseverance more than any real desire to finish.
I like the Medieval period but I would never go back to that time period. As Lynn points out, it’s not safe for a woman outside of the walls of a palace or castle or keep. Sometimes, even then it’s not a guarantee as Lady Sarah of Remy learned.
At a young age, Sarah’s father left her under Queen Eleanor’s care. He left her without any wealth to call her own and more importantly without lands. Completely at the Queen’s mercy, Sarah grew up thinking she was quite blessed… until the Queen began her demands in return for all she’d done for Sarah.
Branded as the Queen’s whore, Sarah is used to the way the other women treat her at court. She spies for the Queen without complaint, hoping one day the Queen will fulfill her promise and marry her off to a titled nobleman. That hoped is crushed when the Queen commands Sarah to wed William of Bronwyn.
William looks like a fierce and unloving man. His muscles bulge and his scowl is harsh, not to mention his reputation… why he is everything Sarah fears. But reputations can be deceiving as both William and Sarah both will learn.
Today I am reviewing Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry. This is my first ARC (advance review copy; official book release is September 30, 2008) and I eagerly read the whole novel in two days! Knight’s Fork is just one novel in the futuristic set series about the Great Djinn race. Knight’s Fork contains all the right stuff from a stowaway princess to a knight’s quest and the threat of death licking at their heels. This book and series would be great for any lover of alien paranormal romance or paranormal romance in general.
Watch out for the ‘Dj’ names! There’s quite a few to remember and follow! The romance novel is filled to overflowing with political intrigue and the key players are trying to play everybody else all at the same time to get their way. The main characters have to watch out for who their enemies are and who their allies are.
Cherry titles her novels after chess moves, and yes the characters do play chess and the move in question is used several times throughout the novel. Knight’s Fork in particular is about a choice between two evils – you’re going to lose something and the decision becomes which loss is acceptable?
This choice is ‘Rhett’s, a Saurian Knight, and it is between power and a female. Saurian is another alien race, but don’t let this fool you about this white knight. Back to the point - how can power or a female be a bad choice whichever you choose? A grab for power will set other leaders in a tizzy and the female is another male’s mate that’s how!
The rival male is King of another alien race, the Volnoth, and taking Electra could start a war on par with the ancient Greek war over Helen of Troy. It’s too bad for ‘Rhett that he’s tempted by Electra and not by the power offered. Far more tempting is that she wants him… for his sperm. What’s a knight to do?
This novel and series isn’t for the fainthearted that likes their romances to be mild and sweet. Urban colloquialisms for sex and emissions abound, the Great Djinn even regularly swear by Carnality! However for those who crave the contemporary slang and straightforward nature to the approach of sex Knight’s Fork is deliciously racy and erotic. The whole novel revolves around sex!
You could compare Cherry’s novel to Laurell K. Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series about fairies because the Princess Electra seeks to get pregnant just like Meredith does. Or you could compare the novel to the Twilight Saga with ‘Rhett being a virgin, sworn to a vow of chastity, similar to Edward’s chase behavior. Whatever parallels you draw, Cherry spins a great story.
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars
Originally posted 2008-09-11 05:56:00. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer is enchanting and will assuredly transport you to another world. Georgette Heyer, praised to be the new Jane Austen, was born in 1902 and her tales are quite old but hold the same classic feel as any one of Austen’s novels. I can picture the whole novel as a movie and am surprised that I’ve not seen it made into one. Of course I haven’t checked in at IMDB so I could be quite wrong about its silver screen status.
This is my first time reading Heyer and such I found it tough to start (as such it’s affected my rating). The writing while at first difficult to read and to get into because of the level of vocabulary and particular word phrasing which is unusual for today’s standard’s. However it gets easier the more you read. By the end of the book you’re practically flying through the pages trying to get to the end of the story and see the leads get their happily ever after.
In the true spirit of a Regency novel, this novel includes a secondary romance to entertain us. Neither romance goes to the bedroom, in fact the first and only kiss mentioned is at the very end of the tale. My one fault with the story was there was much too much time spent on ditherings going on around the leads and not nearly enough time focused on them. They were more thrown together in the beginning when Dominic kidnapped poor Mary than later.
Mary Challoner is determined to save her sister from scandal and intercepts a letter from Marquis of Vidal to her sister Sophie arranging an illicit tryst. A daring scheme to take her sister’s place and fool Vidal comes to her and Mary rushes through with it, barely thinking out the consequences.
When Vidal finds out he’s most upset and assuming her to be like her untoward and loose sister, Vidal forcibly takes her the rest of the way to France. Once there, Mary is able to make her true nature known and flummoxed Vidal is forced to do the one thing he never thought to do – propose marriage. Imagine his surprise when Mary refuses! What’s a Marquis to do?
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-09-02 05:43:56. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Julie Garwood is a staple, a household name, and Wedding is the first book of hers I ever read. Recommended to me by my closest friend, I came to the conclusion that it must go to the top of my TBR pile. I found the Wedding to be a delightful combination of bride stealing, tortured hero, and a quest for justice. The tortured hero was my favorite part, though the heroine was pretty great too. The Wedding is the sequel to The Bride, but I don’t think you miss anything by reading this one first; it is after all what I did first. I also found pieces of text to get choppy when going from scene to scene near the end or from heroine to hero point of view. Overall it wasn’t a bad start to learning about who this fabulous author is. Spoilers ahead…
Wedding focuses heavily on a revenge plot, which in the end I felt could have been wrapped up better. When young Laird Connor McAlister comes to his father’s death bed, he is made to promise to seek justice for the wrongs of his father. At ten, one would not think this would be particularly important or something that would be a driving force in the child’s life but we’re underestimating the loyalty between father and son, the pride of the Highlanders, and of course the time period. Connor seeks protection from Alec, forms a lasting brotherhood with the man and grows up to search for his father’s killers.
The man Connor’s father thought was behind the plotting is getting married. Since he cannot prove his involvement with his father’s death, Connor decides to seek a lesser revenge by stealing his bride, Brenna Haynesworth. Lucky for Connor, his soon to be bride, Brenna, shares a bit of history with him. I’ll give you it’s a relatively brief history, but this history is needed so that Connor can justify his actions to his brother Alec. See, Brenna as a young girl asked Connor to marry her three times during his one and only stay at her childhood home. Brenna is an amusing heroine because she loses her possessions constantly. Hair ribbons, knifes, shoes, it all follows behind her like a trail of bread crumbs.
When the novel focused on the hero and heroine falling in love, it was a very good read but then it drifted back into the revenge plot and stuck there with a few too many clichés. Connor’s stepmother is plainly evil. She affects a loving spirit still in mourning for her dead husband in front of Connor, but sabotages Brenna at every turn and picks on all her fears about herself and Connor whenever the man isn’t looking. And Brenna is so concerned about gaining his stepmother’s favor and love that she doesn’t bring up her problems with Connor or anyone for that matter.
Then when Connor’s stepbrother arrives on the scene he is a lecherous cretin, bent on seducing Brenna as soon as possible, not caring at all if she’s willing or not. While this is going on the man Connor thinks plotted his father’s death is moving his players around and causing mischief so that Connor cannot be near Brenna or observe what is going on in his own household until it’s nearly too late. Then to top it all off is another communication misunderstanding and the happily ever after is almost caput. In the end they have it, but I would have preferred Garwood to draw it out more instead of tacking it on at the end as if she’d forgotten about it.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-27 09:35:12. Republished by Old Post Promoter
The Heiress by Jude Deveraux started off exceptionally well in my opinion but tapered off into mediocrity and stayed there after the jumpstart. It’s too bad that it did that as my initial impressions of the novel were four out of five stars. The editing felt choppy in the middle and was completely disconnected towards the end. There was a distinct lack of transitions between scenes and as I read I felt like I was missing the good parts, the parts that tied everything together.
It was hard to feel for the characters after the initial start as well. There was no chemistry between the two of them in the end and that’s what killed the book. I kept reading though hoping it would turn around and be the amazing story it started off as. No such luck.
Axia has forever been stigmatized by her fortune. When people first meet her, they dismiss her, but that soon changes when they hear about how she is the Maidenhall Heiress. Their entire demeanor would do a one eighty. Men previously uninterested would turn fawning gazes her way and declare their undying love and devotion. For once Axia would love to be wanted, needed, and desired for who she was rather than how much money she represents.
James, call him Jamie, Montgomery is a dirt-poor Elizabethan knight. He inherited his brother’s earldom after his death to a fever. Unfortunately for James, his brother had gambled away everything leaving the family with nothing and no way to support themselves. James had responsibilities to the tenets whose land had once been Montgomery before his brother’s debts, his withdrawn mother, blind twin sister, and tomboy younger sister. So when Maidenhall offered to pay him to escort his daughter Axia to her betrothed, James said yes.
But then his sisters found out and hatched a plan to use Jame’s beauty to save them from destitution. He would woo the Maidenhall Heiress while she was under his charge and convince her to marry him instead of the man she was betrothed too. However Axia outsmarts James and convinces her beautiful cousin to play the part of heiress to allow Axia freedom on the journey. The tale is a topsy-turvy ride through layers of deception, intrigue, and desperation.
Rating: 2 Stars
Originally posted 2008-08-25 05:41:11. Republished by Old Post Promoter
This lovely little book was a quick and delightful read. I was sad to finish it because it meant that I would have to let the leads Julian Ravenwood and Sophy Dorring go their own way. The novel starts out with Julian accepting Sophy’s refusal to marry him. The word was passed down to him through her grandfather and Julian is stunned. Little Sophy could not hope to make a better match and his offer was generous to the extreme. Determined to gain an audience with Sophy Julian contrives of a way to do so. He tracks her down and demands to know her requirements to marry him. She spouts of a few outrageous ideas and he agrees and adds a few of his own turning the tables and leaving Sophy stunned.
Julian is an earl and all that implies. He’s the epitome of the controlling domineering alpha male. He’s also a widower; his late wife drowned. Not that this was a hardship, there was something wrong with the woman. Elizabeth, the dead wife, was for the lack of a better word a nymphomaniac. She loved to cuckold Julian, especially since she didn’t want to marry him in the first place. She took what was warm and good inside Julian and killed it. After the second duel to defend her honor, Julian came to the realization that his wife was not virtuous and didn’t have any honor. He labeled all women susceptible to the madness and vowed never to risk his fool neck for a woman again, but he needs a wife to supply him an heir and Sophy as far as he’s concerned is as different from Elizabeth as night and day.
Sophy is a typical unusual female for her times, but in slightly new way. She’s not put together and far from sophisticated. Pieces of her clothing and accessories like ribbons and feathers are always askew. She loves to read (mostly herbals and a treatise on women’s rights). She doesn’t trust seduction or lust without love. The reason Sophy doesn’t trust a man’s passion is because her sister, Amelia, was seduced and killed by one man’s passion. Sophy thinks sex without love is the epitome of masculine ruthlessness. She has the ring of the man who seduced Amelia and plans to find him and ruin him.
When Julian corner’s her for her list of demands she begs of him three things. One, that she not be forced into the childbed right away or more accurately forced into the marriage bed. Julian promises her three months of leeway. This is acceptable to her because she’s loved Julian since she was 18 not that the fool would notice, panting after Elizabeth as he was. She hopes to make him love her in the time they are not sharing a bed. Two, she wants to control her inheritance. Julian counters that his quarterly allowance for her exceeds the money her grandfather will leave her, but she insists. Three, she wants no interference from him on what she can and cannot read.
Sophy was quite loveable as a character I thought; Julian on the other hand at times was not. While his motives are quite known he still comes off as stern, intractable, and unwilling to reach compromises not in his favor… he breaks his side of the bargain while Sophy always keeps hers and dares to get mad when Sophy questions his honor. Depending on the reader you might be tempted to throw the book because of his outlandish behavior. Also true, however, is that you might enjoy his high handedness. In addition Julian is protective and concerned for his new wife. By the end I was persuaded to like him, but he was definitely ridiculous at times. Perhaps that makes him flawed realistically. Grin.
Rating 3.5 to 4 Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-19 19:25:35. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Beauty and the Beast by Hannah Howell is not a spectacular read. It is however a pretty solid read. I found several segments to be unnecessary and jumpy and predictable in others. This Highlander romance contains all the elements of the sub-genre including bride stealing, thwarted love, revenge plotting, and battle.
Thayer Saiturn is known as the Red Devil, a knight so fierce and courageous that his name inspires fear in the enemies. The second cousin in line for inheriting a title and land, Thayer knows his place in life is on the battlefield waging war to earn his bread and keep. He wishes for the finer things in life, namely a woman to warm his bed, but he knows his limitations. While men express awe and fear over him, women see nothing but an ugly, very hairy, very red brute covered with many scars (none on his face). He pays for the women in his bed, and does not seek one outside of this arrangement. Betrayed once by a beautiful woman, Thayer vows never to be so weak before another highborn beauty.
Gytha is promised by betrothal contract to the heir of Saiturn Manor. At first it was William, beautiful and strong bodied, but word came that he was dead. So too came word that the second cousin, Thayer was dead. Learning that she is to marry Robert, Gytha expresses disappointment. Robert is weak and his soft looks do nothing for her. She would prefer the knight coming in to witness the wedding – the tall one with flaming red hair, a lithe graceful body, and sweet soft brown eyes.
When she discovers that the red knight is Thayer, the true heir to Saiturn Manor, Gytha is relieved. Robert and his uncle are not but cannot fight the contract. Thayer is dismayed, having thought this to be William’s wedding he was attending, he finds no comfort in learning it is his own. The thought of the inheritance does not soothe him for his bride is the prettiest beauty he has ever seen. He was sure to be cuckold, made a fool of by his marriage to her. Men everywhere were vying for her attentions even as she walked down the aisle. He was doomed, for Gytha could not possibly want him.
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-15 23:06:06. Republished by Old 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 Old Post Promoter
Cathy Maxwell spins a charming little tale with delightful leads that are fun to read. I was disappointed in the bedroom scenes, however, when the story finally got there. I would have given this novel a four, but the dissatisfaction gleaned out of the lovemaking knocked it down a notch.
In the Highlander’s Bed a clan of Highlanders are in dire need of land, wealth, security, and they’re willing to fight for it. Or they were, but even Gordon’s most persuasive arguments lack the enthralling power to galvanize the people into action. They are becoming lazy, unorganized, and defeated. The pride that once held up their heads is gone and bickering has broken out amongst them.
Gordon needs the Sword of MacKenna to rouse them from their lackadaisical doldrums. However the Sword belongs to an ex-clansman who now enjoys a title from the peerage of England. But there is one thing Gordon is sure of about Tavis, he will protect what is his… even if it’s his sister by marriage. With plans to kidnap Constance Cameron from her remote boarding school, this is where our story starts.
Constance is more than Gordon thought he would get. Feisty and captivating, she fights like the devil and gives pride and purpose back to his people. Constance is more than he imagined and makes him yearn for peace. But the bounty on his head reminds Gordon, that he alone cannot escape the hangman’s noose and what kind of life is that to offer a woman?
Have you ever read your name in a romance book? How about with different spelling? I rarely do as my name is fairly unique. Listening to my name as a protagonist in Destiny’s Jewel was definitely a bit of naughty fun.
Rebecca Rogers, who narrated Maestro’s Butterfly, narrates Destiny’s Jewel and does another amazing job! Five out of five for steamy!
I recently went on a road trip to meet with some friends and Destiny’s Jewel was my trip companion. Who needs the radio? Seriously! Listen to some erotica instead - it’s sure to keep you awake and get your blood pumping.
Kyra L’orrac has been entrusted to guard a royal treasure, a giant sapphire known as the Stone of Destiny. It is her first big assignment under the Royal Special Forces (RSF). She is protecting it from the incoming vizier and magician Ellard J’aron, who seeks it for personal gain and power.
For Ellard it is imperative that he retrieved the star sapphire and its two sister jewels, an emerald and ruby respectively. If he fails to bring the trio home to Dolnair he faces execution and his family the ultimate disgrace. As if Ellard’s troubles aren’t enough he is under a very strict time limit and the pretty girl who holds the first of the jewels inspires passions he should not-nay can not-indulge, even if he wants too… desperately.
His world was shattered two summers ago when on a trading voyage his farmstead was ransacked by Danes. His wife and unborn child were slaughtered. When the news reached him Wulf’s heart vowed to make the Danish rue the day they ever dared to set foot on his soil. His quest was a tidy package of vengeance, justice, and revenge. He did not separate the murderers that wronged him from the rest of the Danish people. He became known as Wulf the Ruthless far and wide. It was said he was a cold, cruel man without a heart and that compassion was a word he did know.
She was stolen from her farmland in the last of Wulf the Ruthless’ raiding campaigns. The heartless Viking destroyed her life and sold her to a slave trader. By some twisted hand of fate she winds up being purchased two years later by his brother and gifted to Wulf to be his thrall and bed slave. Reyna was horrified to learn that the man who raped her and forgot her would become her master. But there was one thing the Norseman did not take into account; that Reyna had spirit. She would never submit and he would rue the day he ever stepped onto her father’s land!
Sounds amazing right? It was okay. There were a lot of turgid and quivering members and heaving bosoms. Instead of plowing there was spearing. Reyna was too good to be true as a heroine who had been raped and then sold into slavery to a harem in the Byzantine. She could fight, heal, make passionate love as a near virgin, and talk back to the scary Norse warrior that she thought raped her.
Reyna saved Wulf three times from the same situation. The only difference between each time was the place and the names of those fighting. She saved him once fighting the Finnish as one crept up behind him and then again from the Danish on her home turf and lastly on his home turf again but I can’t remember the country… probably Swedes. Honestly how does Wulf survive in battle to earn the name Wulf the Ruthless, if a girl is always saving his hinny from cowardly warriors who come from behind? He’d be Wulf the Dead and Doesn’t Appear in This Book that’s who.
The book flowed pretty well and overall it wasn’t so bad, but it certainly wasn’t one of my all time favorites.
Faro’s Daughter by Geogette Heyer is an excellent read, but fairly short. The whole story gets told in 285 pages. This is one of the first novels of hers that I’ve read that has a lot of lead interaction. In fact they’re nearly at each others throats in every other scene. It makes for a fun read.
Who is Deborah Grantham?
If you asked Adrian Maplethorpe he would say she is like a living goddess. She is beautiful, poised, elegantly mannered, full of grace, and charm. He would ask her to marry him if she would have him.
If you asked Max Ravenscar he would liken her unto a harpy, a jade, a doxy, a trollop, a wench, a cheating baggage, and a Jezebel. The woman would strangle a kitten for money and power. In short Deborah Grantham is vulgar.
What’s a Faro’s Daughter to do?
She’ll make Max Ravenscar pay for the ill treatment and poor manners he’s bestowed upon her person, that’s what she’ll do. What better way to make him regret his folly but to do the exact thing he fears and agree to marry his cousin? No money could bribe her to relinquish Adrian from his calf-love. The only thing she wants is for Ravenscar to admit his faults and misconceptions of her person.
So for the first time, Deborah caters to Adrian’s infatuation. She lets him think she will marry him upon his majority but begs him not to tell his mother about their plans. It is however a most excellent idea to inform his trustee and cousin Max all about it!
On a public excursion surrounded by good ton, Deborah chooses most willfully to look and behave in the worst of fashions. Let Ravenscar see how a true harpy would behave! Adrian is disturbed by the affectation but writes it off to nerves.
In counter Max wins her aunt’s debts from the brute who would use them to finagle Deborah into a position as his mistress. But even holding the debts and mortgage over her head, Deborah refuses to relinquish Lord Maplethorpe. Instead, Deb comes to the most brilliant of ideas!
She is going to kidnap Lord Ravenscar….
Overall this was a wonderful farce that included some of the best tit for tat I’ve had the pleasure to read. I simply couldn’t put it down. For a wager between hearts that is full of flair and humor read Faro’s Daughter. This is definitely going on my favorites shelf!
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-11-25 05:18:34. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Listening to the Maestro’s Butterfly is an experience that will leave you flushed and begging for more. You’re in luck too because there are two more books after this! Rebecca Rogers is a truly phenomenal narrator. Her character voices are a treat and she’s a real actress. Quivering sighs, harsh words, moans, groans, she does them all without ever breaking form. Rogers draws you into Jones’ secret world of vampires and you can not escape… just like Miranda you are trapped, captivated and set a fire.
Jones’ mythology is unique. Her vampires have heartbeats, never get sick, can’t reproduce, and fangs that extend. The feeders once bitten become the perfect meals, producing more blood, become slightly stronger, and live longer younger. Holding one’s breath even ruins the flavor of blood. To be taken by a vampire is to know the true meaning of sex as they love to combine feeding with intercourse.
In the Maestro’s Butterfly, Rhonda Leigh Jones sets a sexy stage and does not fail to deliver. If you’re into dominant/submissive power plays, vampires, and kinky sex you will love this story. There are elements of S&M, including whipping, public/stage sex, voyeurism, sex with multiple partners (not at the same time unless you count in sync with watching others), and anal sex. Very hot!
Miranda wants to be dominated. She wants to include fear, surrender, and the unknown in the bedroom. She longs for it and is afraid of her desires. Her dreams involve running down darkened streets and being caught and forced upon by the mysterious hunter. In her day life she’s a musician and with a lucky break gets Claudio du Fresne to tutor her for half price. One night after a performance of his, he invites her back to his place and along the way they strike a bet. He will be the partner she has always dreamed of and if at the end of 30 days he will make her his forever… if not she will allowed to leave and he will continued to tutor her at the prearranged deal.
But there is a darker side to this story. Miranda is unaware of Claudio being a vampire. That’s not all… in addition Claudio has struck another bet, this time with his brother, Victoire “Jack” du Fresne. If at the end of 30 days Miranda stays with Claudio, Jack will pay for Claudio quarter of a million dollar performance piece. If however, she bolts like Jack suspects, Miranda will belong to Jack… whether she wants to be or not.
Joanna Bourne takes the old plot of wartime enemy spies turned lovers and sticks it on its head. This novel is a seriously fantastic tale that you would be fool not to pick up and read. It contains a wonderful plot twist that should be as surprising as it is satisfyingly delicious. The male is a strong, powerful, but very plain lead. The female is cunning, resourceful, and beautiful. The cover depicts a young handsome man, the type of man that Robert Grey would eat twice a week for breakfast. It is pretty and attention grabbing however, which is what the publishers are after.
Annique Villiers is a French spy in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars (adjacent to the Georgian period in England.) She was captured and thrown into the bad guy’s household prison alongside two British spies, Grey and Adrian. Annique uses her cunning and limited resources to get the three of them out of trouble. Unfortunately for Annique, Grey (and Adrain) knows of her and captures her just when she thinks she’s free. Angry and determined to escape, Annique puts up one hell of a fight. She has kindness in her you would not expect of a spy. As a matter of fact, all of the agents except the bad guys, show a remarkable kindness.
The safety of two nation’s people rest in Annique’s hands. She must decide what to do and whether her choice will keep her loyal to her homeland or turn her traitor, she does not yet know. Annique will have to war between her head and her heart all the while danger, intrigue, and madness follow behind her nipping at her heels.
, but I don’t think you miss anything by reading this one first; it is after all what I did first. I also found pieces of text to get choppy when going from scene to scene near the end or from heroine to hero point of view. Overall it wasn’t a bad start to learning about who this fabulous author is. Spoilers ahead…
