Love Romance Passion » Spinster http://www.loveromancepassion.com Because Books Don't Fall Asleep Afterwards! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Review: The Landlord’s Black-Eyed Daughter by Mary Ellen Dennis http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-landlords-black-eyed-daughter-by-mary-ellen-dennis/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-landlords-black-eyed-daughter-by-mary-ellen-dennis/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:28:12 +0000 Hannah Abbey http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=12897

Reviewed by Hannah

For all those girls who love bad boys, this is the book for you. A cavalier thief (aka "highwayman") not only works to steal your heart, but also your baubles and pocketbook.

Hero: Rand is tall, dark and handsome. And if that already isn't enough, he's got the Robin Hood persona down pat. His cool, reserved demeanor can be trying for the reader to get into, but if aloft is hot for you- then this is the romance hero for you.

Heroine: Elizabeth is a curvy girl who's far before her time. She's feminine and independent (petticoats with career goals and aspirations)... it makes me happy. Elizabeth, a top selling romance novel writer in the Regency era, finds herself falling in love with the protagonist from her own work. At first glance, she knew she wanted to meet him.

She approaches him from all the way across the dance floor, and introduces herself – completely shocking herself with her brashness. It was very fun to see the heroine put herself out there time and time again. Her infatuation grows with him, as his surface-deep indifference increases (which seems a bit backwards to me, but makes for some interesting situations.)

Dislikes: Right from the first sexual encounter between Elizabeth and Rand... which was hot and feverish, Rand disappears. He might as well have been the invisible man, how fast he fled the scene. Seriously, then he goes on to tell her she should be with an alternative suitor (who also happens to be the "Right Arm of the Law" type guy and a beta male).

If that hadn't been horrifying enough to read, Elizabeth happily accepts his fleeing without complaint. Yeah... that is unacceptable in my book. You don't say "I love you" and run. Talk about mixed signals.

Likes: I loved the sex scenes, so hot. Rand plays a very controlled counterpart in those scenes. I had to wipe the sweat off my face, I got so hot.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the main character's ardor, she was very capable of handling any all situations that arose, especially in reference to the sticky situations featured around the criminal acts of her bad boy.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Buy: The Landlord's Black-Eyed Daughter

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-landlords-black-eyed-daughter-by-mary-ellen-dennis/feed/ 2 Review: A Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-a-hellion-in-her-bed-by-sabrina-jeffries/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-a-hellion-in-her-bed-by-sabrina-jeffries/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:17:50 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=8355

A Hellion in Her Bed is book two of the Hellions of Halstead Hall series by Sabrina Jeffries. The Sharpe family consists of five children raised by their grandmother. Their parents died under mysterious circumstances which set tongues wagging throughout the ton and shadowed their lives growing up. When all the children were grown but exhibited no signs of finding partners and settling into married life and babies, their grandmother decided to do something about it. Her ultimatum dictated that they all had to wed by the end of the year or be disinherited.

Lord Jarret couldn’t be more disgusted that his older brother, Lord Stoneville capitulated so easily to their grandmother and was now honeymooning with his new bride. Determined not to yield to the old broad, Jarret strikes a new bargain with his grandmother. He will manage the Plumtree brewery for a year, without her interference, in exchange for his inheritance which he plans to use to save his other siblings from the unhappy task of following their grandmother’s dictates.

When he meets Annabel Lake, of Lake Ale, a young single woman, he’s immediately suspicious of his grandmother’s involvement. Her proposition of combining forces to brew an October ale to take to the Dutch East India Company was equally ludicrous and foolhardy. If all went well all the brewery’s troubles (and his own) would be taken care of permanently. If not, he would lose everything. Against his gambling nature, he turns her down, but her second proposition based on a wager was too tempting to turn down.

Both are determined, competent, family oriented characters with a passion for brewing. Both have secrets and hidden depths. The true question is, are both willing to gamble for love?

As a complete side note: Some of the cutest paraphernalia came with this book when I got it in the mail. There were interviews in the Parasol Papers for both the hero and heroine, a letter to the editor of the papers from the hero and heroine, a little how-to on beating a gambling rogue at cards, and a deck of playing cards with the book’s cover on them. There were more cute things describing book one of series too. I thought it was excellent marketing and lots of fun to read too.

Rating: ★★★½☆

Buy: A Hellion in Her Bed (Hellions of Halstead Hall)

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-a-hellion-in-her-bed-by-sabrina-jeffries/feed/ 3 Review: Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-dreaming-of-you-by-lisa-kleypas/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-dreaming-of-you-by-lisa-kleypas/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:06:36 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=8208

Let me start off by saying Derek is one hot hero, he's like number 11 on my top ten heroes list, just a hairsbreadth from being there.

Derek Craven is a self-made man. He’s wealthier than most of the gentry, but he is not one. Born in the slums of London to a prostitute and abandoned into the care of others, he’s had to fight for everything. He gets his kicks sleeping with the married women of the ton as a way to get back at the men who won’t let him into their inner circles. He makes the mistake of tangling with Joyce Ashby, who seeks retaliation when he breaks off their affair.

Miss Sara Fielding is a quiet country mouse and an acclaimed author. Most people confuse her with the fictional character of her second novel. Part of the reason her novels are so well received is because they are so well researched. Determined to make her third novel on gambling an equal success she decides to research the most infamous and exclusive club of all – Craven’s.

Favorite Sex Scene: Where Derek introduces her to the pleasures of doggy style… and how she thought sex wasn’t possible if she was on her stomach. Tehe. It was hot and cute at the same time.

Aw Moment: When he steals her spectacles so he can keep a little reminder of her in his life.

Big Page Suck: I could have done without the giant interlude at Greenwood Corners where she gets engaged to the pompous mama’s boy, Perry Kingswood. At the very least I felt that maybe Derek should have stalked her or been lurking nearby somewhere.

Evil Woman: I could also have done without the wicked and perverted Lady Ashby. Without her the giant angst-ridden conclusion wouldn’t have gone off the way it did what with kidnapping, presumed death, etc. but something similar could have occurred and been just as good.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

PS - Magdalen this is the book you've DNFed a few times, so don't go out and buy a copy again! lol

Buy: Dreaming of You

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guestreview

By: Zarabeth, guest reviewer

This is a fantastic spinster story set in 1836 England. Our heroine, Amanda, is a 30-yr old spinster supporting herself as a novelist who has decided to do something for herself, for once in her life. As we well know a never-married 30 yr old woman is quite on the shelf, but this does not prevent her from having the same sexual needs as any other woman. So our heroine, and my heroine for this, hires a male prostitute for her 30th birthday completely disregarding social conventions of virginity and premarital sex.

On her birthday a suitable man with an association to the escort service does appear on her doorstep and we assume that this is her prostitute. As the reader we are mortified to learn that this man is not a prostitute despite his sexual actions with our heroine. Later in the book Amanda and the not-prostitute Jack meet at a social/publishing event.

The story as a whole involves Jack doing everything he can to get Amanda back in bed and eventually convinces her to have an affair with him. I very much enjoyed the affair and the experiences of our main characters in public and in private (rating: 5). Once Amanda decides that the affair must end, things get pretty complicated and despair ensues. Months into this unfortunate depression we discover that Amanda is pregnant. Again, our never-married 30 yr old woman has just discovered that she is pregnant- this is a problem. Our Amanda must now decide whether to move to the continent or marry below her standards and whether or not to tell Jack about his child (rating: 4).

I call this a solid 4.5. There are 2 reasons that this review is not a full 5: there is some rear-entry stuff (gags and feels uncomfortable) and there is a bit too much time spent on inner-turmoil instead acts based on inner turmoil.

Rating: 4.5

Buy: Suddenly You

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This Victorian romance is the very opposite of sexual restraint. If you're in the mood for something hot and spicy with a wide streak of naughtiness you'll want to read this book! You’ll love it from the very first page.

Miss Juliet Foster upon her father’s death is given all of his wealth while her brother gets the businesses, and her sister the real estate.  Suddenly Juliet isn’t just a virginal American spinster. She’s also an heiress and the leeches are popping out the woodwork to try to force her into marriage so they can get control of it.

Determined not to get caught but to still enjoy her life, Juliet decides the best thing to do is seduce her way through the Continent. First she’ll go to Britain, find a nice staid man to start. Then she’ll hit France to turn herself into a more sophisticated lover. Next Spain, for a little passion. All because, if she’s going to end up with a man he’s going to be Italian – the most perfect of lovers to be found anywhere! There’s just one flaw – somebody has to take her virginity first.

David Winslow, the Marquess of Derrington, Derry to his friends, suffers from the Winslow curse which skips between generations. If he’s ever going to be happy and successful he needs to find a woman more wild than he is because in taming her he’ll tame himself. It’s his ‘dying’ grandmother’s wish that he marry soon and so he goes to America to find himself the perfect bride, one who meets all his grandmother’s requirements and cares not a fig for his wealth or title. When Juliet Foster asks him to take her maidenhead he’s both flabbergasted and excited because he knows she is his perfect match. When she runs away he knows he has to chase after her.

It’s a fun romp of cat and mouse and hot hot sex. Really, it’s decadently delicious in every way.

My one complaint is how often the heroine runs off. The very last time she does was one time too many for me. I felt the angst moment could have been satisfied a little sooner with better results if the North & South type moment had been seized upon with vigor.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Buy: Miss Foster's Folly

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-miss-foster%e2%80%99s-folly-by-alice-gaines/feed/ 0 Review: Courting Miss Hattie by Pamela Morsi http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-courting-miss-hattie-by-pamela-morsi/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-courting-miss-hattie-by-pamela-morsi/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 09:20:17 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=4005

bookreview

First off, thank you to Katiebabs for recommending this book in her post, Those Wonderful Comfort Reads. It’s taken me a while to acquire my own copy, but boy oh boy was it worth the wait. This novel is definitely one of those where you wonder why you never heard of it sooner!

The biggest gossip in town is that spinster Hattie Colfax is going to be courted for the very first time by widower Ancil Drayton. He even has special permission from the preacher due to the fact that his wife hasn’t been dead very long, but the Lord will understand his need for a new woman. He has seven kids after all and a farm to maintain.

The minute the news reaches Reed Tyler’s ears he’s annoyed. That man is the worst farmer in the county and Hattie deserves better. Hattie on the other hand is very excited by what appears to be a man for the first time looking past her face and interested in her. This just annoys Reed even more.

Hattie goes to Reed, her 'Plowboy', for help. She doesn’t want to appear completely pathetic to Ancil by having him be her first kiss. She’s afraid it will put her on unequal ground; that Ancil will always look down on her and think she should be grateful he wanted to marry her. Reed agrees to teach her. There are three kinds of kissing that he teaches her that night, and that MhoFho and D.D. will teach you tomorrow, plus a fourth he teaches her later in the novel. Very hot and sexy scenes!

Really this was just a fantastic novel, though it would have benefited from less smoochy-smooches and Ancil. The man was made for a sexual harassment suit and he’s just plain unlikable and cruel. I felt bad for two of his seven children. I wanted Hattie to adopt them.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Courting Miss Hattie

Find and Buy More Pamela Morsi Books.

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-courting-miss-hattie-by-pamela-morsi/feed/ 3 Review: One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-one-dance-with-a-duke-by-tessa-dare/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-one-dance-with-a-duke-by-tessa-dare/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:02:52 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=7633

Prepare yourself to be dazzled. One Dance with a Duke is one of those exceptional romances that immediately found its way to my top favorites (ten of which I sent to Jane at Dear Author… if I had finished this book before sending off the list you would most assuredly have found it with the rest.)

The sexual tension is through the roof. The foreplay is salivating. The sex is piping hot.

The hero is scrumptious. The heroine plucky. With dialogue to die sigh for.

In short: fabulous.

Lady Amelia d’Orsay is a plump spinster and a bit of a wallflower with a fondness for embroidery, planning meals, and her stupid foolish halfwit brother Jack. When she discovers Jack owes the Duke of Midnight 400 pounds she confronts the man, stealing his hand with an impetuousness that surprises even her and leads him out on the dance floor.

Spencer Dumarque, 4th Duke of Morland, notoriously known as the Duke of Midnight, is socially inept on many fronts. He gets disoriented and dizzy at inopportune moments, is impossibly rude, and has a fondness for horses so deep he’ll go to any lengths; pay any price to own one retired champion horse, including bankrupting idiotic boys.

This book is the first in the Stud Club trilogy.

The Trilogy Arc: Discover who murdered the leader and founder of the Stud Club: Leopold Chatwick.

Loved the change of pace: A quick marriage – but not marriage of convenience.

The Slightly Illogical: Amelia accepting Spencer’s proposal, signing the register with defiance and surety when he’s accused of murder, and then recanting her trust by bedtime. This strange turn of events allows for some very hot flirting and petting so I was more than okay with it. Of course, she wasn’t really afraid of him and didn’t truly believe him capable of murder; though that’s the excuse she gave him. She was afraid she couldn’t protect her heart from certain heartbreak.

Rating: 5 Stars

Buy: One Dance with a Duke

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-one-dance-with-a-duke-by-tessa-dare/feed/ 3 Review: Love and Scandal by Donna Lea Simpson http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-love-and-scandal-by-donna-lea-simpson/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-love-and-scandal-by-donna-lea-simpson/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:36:31 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=7790

A lady in Victorian times had little options when it came to acceptable jobs. Writing novels was simply not one of them and certainly not publishing them. That’s why Collette Jardiniere hides her authorship of The Last Days of a Rake behind the pseudonym Collin Jenkins. That is until some trumped-up peacock of a rake refuses to deny authorship. So she goes to London to rectify the gross injustice of her work be unfairly attributed to another and for the first time finds herself experiencing freedom and passion. A very heady combination for a virginal spinster.

Charles Jameson (Jamie) wants nothing more than to meet the man behind the scandalous novel and pick his brain. As a lover of the literary world but lacking skill with a pen, Charles is very much a man of the time. He refuses (at first) to believe woman capable of intelligence, thinking they merely parrot men in their lives. He also can’t believe that they write, let alone one having written a novel he considers to be written by a rakehell.

Simpson does an excellent job weaving both characters together. They’re helpless attraction to each other doesn’t hurt either. She carefully chips Collette’s cowardice to claim authorship away and slowly builds Charles’ character up so that he can be the hero Collette needs. Of course their relationship is not without a series of hardships but eventually all obstacles are overcome.

In addition to Love & Scandal, I read the companion novella Last Days of a Rake. It’s not a love story. Collette didn’t write a romantic piece, it’s a dark look into the redemption of a rake who doesn’t even understand why he’s changed. It reflects everything the characters from Love & Scandal claim it to be and that includes its flaws. If you have a little time on your hands, be sure to check it out and read it before starting the other. I thought it helped a lot with understanding points made in the novel about the heroine’s writing, but you don’t have to read it to enjoy the romance.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Love & Scandal

Free Download: The Last Days of a Rake

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-love-and-scandal-by-donna-lea-simpson/feed/ 0 Review: Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark by Donna Lea Simpson http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-lady-anne-and-the-howl-in-the-dark-by-donna-lea-simpson/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-lady-anne-and-the-howl-in-the-dark-by-donna-lea-simpson/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:21:19 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=1881

arcrev

I have a funny story with this book and by story I mean an epic fail. I was returning some books back to the library and somehow Lady Anne sneaked back with them. When I realized what I’d done it was as if I’d been amputated! So painful. Of course I returned the books on a Sunday; the only day in the week the library isn’t open until late in the afternoon or early in the day.

After a pretty good freak out, I waited until I could call. Ended hanging up once because I was on hold for five minutes and called back. Then I had to wait on the phone for twenty plus minutes before somebody from circulation got to me. They either forgot me or they were busy. I told them about the book and the person I talked with probably never got a call like this before because I was given a hard time.

Finally, I managed to convince them that the book was mine and not a library book. I don’t understand how this was so difficult as 1) it is not stamped with the library name nor was it 2) tagged with a detector strip or that pocket thing and 3) clearly says advance review copy on the cover! This is why I write in books to identify and claim them.

In the end they put the book on hold for me and now it was a matter of getting back over there. The library where I dropped the books off while on errands was all the way across town. I really didn’t make this easy on myself. Luckily I got there, but it was close! One more red light and it would have been better luck next time. Needless to say I was very, very pleased to get this book back and finish it… which I did later that night.

What I liked best about Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark was its tribute to Gothic romance, followed swiftly by a capable intelligent heroine. The hero liked that best about her too so how could you not fall in love with him? Lady Anne is very plain and a spinster to boot, which are some of my very favorite things to read in romance.

Simpson writes in a witty and engaging voice. I loved Lady Anne. She was such a treat. Her musings on Lord Darkefell are particularly fabulous:

It was either that or go back to pondering the feel of Lord Darkefell’s too-perfect lips pressed against hers. And his too-perfect body against hers. He was entirely too perfect—if there was such a concept as overabundant perfection—in a physical sense and entirely too maddeningly imperfect in every other way.

Without giving anything else away I will say this: if you like mystery, intrigue, werewolves, and Gothic you will love this book! Oh and chances are you're going to jump to conclusions about the mystery and be totally wrong - I was!

Rating: 3.5-4 Stars

Buy: Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark

Online Stores ]]> http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-lady-anne-and-the-howl-in-the-dark-by-donna-lea-simpson/feed/ 2 Review: The Silver Squire by Marry Brendan http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-silver-squire-by-marry-brendan/ http://www.loveromancepassion.com/review-the-silver-squire-by-marry-brendan/#comments Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:27:16 +0000 Keira http://www.loveromancepassion.com/?p=11315

Marry a horrible abusive philandering man or risk absolute ruin by running away? Tough choice… not! Spinster Emma Worthington has waited this long for romance and there’s no way her family’s dire straights will force her into an unwanted marriage to a creep. She packs her bag and races to an old suitor in hopes he’ll renew his proposal. It might not be what she had hoped for out of her life, but it was far better than the alternative.

But meeting the man that became of the old suitor was supremely disappointing. He was obviously a drunkard like her father, drowning the memories of his late wife. His children were not the nice polite kids they were before. And she’s fairly certain the housekeeper is on too friendly of terms with the master of the house. So she dithers on his second proposal and seeks employment as a companion only to find out she sought a position with the mistress of her best friend’s husband’s best friend. Utterly humiliating!

Baron Richard Du Quesne thought he recognized the woman at the mail coach stop but now that he knows Emma is on the lam, he’s determined to save her from herself. His moniker around town is the Silver Squire because he owns most of the city and has enough silver lining his pockets to fund a small country for years. Is it any wonder she can’t hide from him? He’s reputation as a rake ruined his suit and his character in her eyes years ago—something he’ll changed this time around come hell or high water.

I can’t think of the words to describe the writing style of this story, but I’m leaning towards epic and classic with lots of drama and comedy. Emma and Richard bicker a lot, she does silly things to get away from him, thinking he’s as bad as the man her parents want her to marry, and does an extremely TSTL move at the end, but he saves her and so do his friends which is really sweet.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy: The Silver Squire

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